After working for NBC for almost 20 years, Hoda Kotb officially retired on January 10th, 2025.
Kotb was born in Norman, Oklahoma, then moved around to West Virginia and Northern Virginia. She attended Virginia Tech and graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1986. Kotb then went on to work at several CBS news stations, including locations such as Illinois, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Egypt, where her parents are from.
Kotb struggled to find a televised career after states such as Tennessee and Virginia declined her efforts to work there. However, eventually she got a job with WWL-TV in New Orleans, working as a reporter for six years. By 1998, Kotb landed a job at NBC working as a correspondent for Dateline. For several years, she covered major issues, both domestic and international. During this time she was presented with the Peabody Award for The Education of Ms. Groves
In 2007, Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She wrote a few books on her mental and physical journey through this time, discussing her treatment and recovery from her illness. The same year, she was promoted to the co-host of “Today” at 10 a.m. Before officially becoming co-host of “Today” from eight to nine, Kotb filled in for anchors, and even got the opportunity to cover the opening ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Finally in January of 2018, Kotb was promoted to co-host of hour seven and eight for the “Today” show. She hosted along broadcaster Savannah Guthrie. The two worked well together, and this dynamic soon caused the show to take off.
Over the past six years, Kotb had crossed milestones and created memories on the “Today” show. She’s had the opportunity to sit down with celebrities including Celine Dion, Oprah, Simone Biles, Prince Henry, and numerous others. She also gained a close friend through the show; her co-host, Guthrie. Guthrie stated that she believed they were “Soul Sisters” and continued to discuss how lucky they were to have each other.
In September of 2024, on another segment of the “Today” show, “Hoda and Jenna,” Kotb announced she would be leaving the “Today” show in the new year, stating that it would be “the hardest thing in the world.” She recalled that turning 60 the previous summer made her think about the years to come, and made her realize she wanted to make the most of the time she had with her children.
On Friday, January 10th, 2025, Hoda Kotb returned to the “Today” show for the last time, bringing her children along with her. The day was filled with tears of both joy and sadness, as Kotb reminisced on her years with NBC, and said goodbye to her longtime friends and colleagues. Late night show host Jimmy Fallon joined Kotb during the episode, gifting her a heartfelt present to say goodbye- a framed cutout of the red carpet from the elevators of the Rockefeller Center. She also received visits and messages from Oprah, Jamie Lee Curtis, Simone Biles, and her mother. Kotb read a long heartfelt letter to the “Today” community, discussing her time with Kathie Lee Gifford and Jenna Bush Hager, along with her growth, love, and gratitude for the show.
She ended the speech by saying, “so as I sit here today in my final moments, on this final day in this chapter of my career, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my very full heart for the ride of a lifetime. I love you.”
As the end of an era sadly wraps up, Kotb will begin a new one at the age of 60, moving on to new adventures and spending time with her children.
