Current:Home > ContactKathie Lee Gifford says Hoda Kotb's 'Today' show exit is 'bittersweet' -FinanceMind
Kathie Lee Gifford says Hoda Kotb's 'Today' show exit is 'bittersweet'
View
Date:2025-04-14 22:53:57
Kathie Lee Gifford is feeling "bittersweet" about Hoda Kotb stepping away from her "Today" show desk next year.
"Bittersweet news as my dear friend @hodakotb steps away from the Today Show," Gifford posted on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. "Her warmth, laughter, and incredible spirit have brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts. Here’s to new adventures! 🥂"
Gifford, 71, and Kotb, 60, co-hosted the fourth hour of the NBC morning show from 2008 to 2019, when Gifford left "Today with Kathie Lee and Hoda" to pursue other projects.
"It’s not that I wanted to leave the 'Today' show," Gifford told USA TODAY in 2019. "I just had to leave if I wanted to actually fulfill lifetime dreams I have that I’m running out of time for." Earlier this year, she guest starred alongside her daughter Cassidy in the Amazon Prime Video series "The Baxters."
"There’s not a false bone in her body. There’s not a mean bone in her body," she said of Kotb. "She’s incredibly smart and brilliant, but she’s childlike, too, in the best sense of the word: about life, about wonder, the wonder of life, especially since she’s become a mother. She’s an amazing mother."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Kotb shocked fans when she revealed her impending departure from "Today" on Thursday morning.
She wiped away tears as she shared the news, describing the decision as the "hardest thing in the world." She said turning 60 last month was a "monumental" moment for her that made her think about the decade ahead.
"I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new," she said, adding, "This is the right time for me to move on."
Kotb also said that her children deserve a "bigger piece of my time pie." She plans to leave "Today" in early 2025.
Chatting with Kathie Lee, her daughter:Why FaceTime is 'a gift' for Gifford
How Savannah Guthrie, Jenna Bush Hager reacted to Hoda Kotb's departure news
Kotb has worked with NBC News since 1998, originally as a "Dateline" correspondent and has served as co-anchor of the "Today" show with Savannah Guthrie since 2018. Since Gifford's departure in 2019, she has shared the fourth hour desk with Jenna Bush Hager.
During Thursday's program, an emotional Guthrie said, "I am so proud of my friend."
"You have guts. For someone to leave at the top of their game, to leave something that's wonderful, that you love, where it's easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun, and say, 'But I dream even bigger for myself.' You have so much guts," she continued. "You inspire me. I love you."
Later, on "Today with Hoda and Jenna," both co-hosts were in tears.
"Hoda told me just a couple days ago, and when she told me, my first reaction was from my gut and it was almost crazy. … and I said, ‘No, you can’t leave,’” Bush Hager said. "You are who I come to when I'm feeling joyful, when I'm feeling unsure. You are who I come to. And you believed in me first. We had a lot of bosses, but this lady, on Oct. 28, 2013 — I looked it up — she said, 'Hey, wanna come sit next to me? There's room.'"
"But here's the thing," Kotb replied. "Looking at you and seeing magic was one of the easiest things I've seen in my life."
Contributing: Brendan Morrow
veryGood! (5)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Why Andrew Garfield Doesn't Think He Wants Kids
- A deadly hurricane is the latest disruption for young athletes who already have endured a pandemic
- Missing woman's remains found in Missouri woods nearly 6 months after disappearance: Sheriff
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Jersey Shore's Ronnie Ortiz-Magro Shares Daughter's Gut-Wrenching Reaction to His 2021 Legal Trouble
- Eminem Shares Emotional Reaction to Daughter Hailie Jade's Pregnancy
- 'Take action now': Inside the race to alert residents of Helene's wrath
- FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
- International fiesta fills New Mexico’s sky with colorful hot air balloons
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- Tesla recalls over 27,000 Cybertrucks for rearview camera issue that could increase crash risk
- Manslaughter case in fatal police shooting outside Virginia mall goes to jury
- Anti-abortion leaders undeterred as Trump for the first time says he’d veto a federal abortion ban
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- Lucas Coly, French-American Rapper, Dead at 27
- With 'The Woke Agenda,' Calgorithm propels California football into social media spotlight
- 'Take action now': Inside the race to alert residents of Helene's wrath
Recommendation
Federal court filings allege official committed perjury in lawsuit tied to Louisiana grain terminal
Newsom wants a do-over on the lemon car law he just signed. Will it hurt buyers?
SEC, Big Ten moving closer to taking their college football ball home and making billions
Ron Hale, retired 'General Hospital' soap opera star, dies at 78
Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
Progressive prosecutors in Georgia faced backlash from the start. They say it’s all politics.
Nikki Garcia Gets Restraining Order Against Ex Artem Chigvintsev After Alleged Fight
Uncover the Best Lululemon Finds: $49 Lululemon Align Leggings Instead of $98, $29 Belt Bags & More