Hoda Kotb Reflects On Her Hesitation To Retire From ‘Today’: “I Love This Show”

Hoda Kotb shocked America when she announced her plan to retire from daytime television next year. But the Today host confessed during a recent broadcast of Hoda & Jenna that she had many initial hesitations when it came to making the decision.

She and Jenna Bush Hager were joined by motivational speaker Mel Robbins to discuss the upcoming release of her new book, The Let Them Theory, and to offer some advice to viewers. One piece of advice in particular appeared to resonate with Kotb during this milestone year.

“There is a decision you want to make, there is something that matters to you and you’re overthinking it, you’re scared, you’re questioning. Stop worrying about everyone else and actually put your needs and desires first,” Robbins advised.

She then turned to Kotb and added, “You just did this, you’re the perfect illustration of this, Hoda. Congratulations.” She noted that Kotb “probably questioned it for a long time” before sharing her decision to retire from daytime television.

“Oh, yes she did,” Bush Hager said in agreement.

Kotb shared that she got some advice from a friend when she was ruminating on her decision to leave. “You know what somebody said to me, because there are always going to be parts of you that question something, they said, ‘Remember 75% of you has made the decision, 25% is catching up,’” she told Robbins and Bush Hager.

She added that it’s “normal” to feel some hesitation when it comes to making big changes to your life.

“I’m in a great job, I love Jenna, I love this show, but I also know it’s time,” she said. “They said, ‘Give yourself grace for the rest of you to catch up with the decision.’”

Kotb announced her retirement in September while surrounded by her longtime NBC colleagues on Today and Today With Hoda & Jenna. She explained that her 60th birthday left her feeling like it was time to “turn the page” and try something new.

She told Bush Hager at the time that the decision “weighed a lot” on her.

“Saying goodbye to something that’s not working, something that’s tired, something you don’t want, that’s easy,” she told Bush Hager through tears after announcing the news. “But saying goodbye to something that’s amazing is hard.”

For now, Kotb is set to stay on The Today Show through the rest of the year and early 2025. But the network says the daytime host will “remain part of the NBC family” after her retirement.

Today with Hoda & Jenna airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.