Hoda Kotb reveals heartbreaking reason behind her exit from the Today show: ‘It was non-negotiable’

Hoda Kotb opened up about her emotional departure from Today earlier this year. In a candid interview with People, the 60-year-old longtime co-anchor reflected on her final day and revealed the personal reasons behind her decision to say goodbye to the beloved daytime series.

Hoda Kotb opened up about her emotional departure from Today, revealing the personal reasons behind her decision. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via AP)(AP)

Kotb recalled the emotional farewell she experienced on her last day at 30 Rock. She described being surrounded by a stream of familiar faces, including Maria Shriver, Simone Biles, Andy Cohen, Kathie Lee Gifford, and Jimmy Fallon. While the day was filled with love and support, what stood out most to her was the overwhelming sense of heartbreak she felt as she said goodbye.

She also added, “When you say goodbye to something you love, even though it’s right, it’s like your heart’s broken and on display.”

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Kotb reveals her daughter Hope has Type 1 diabetes

Kotb is now venturing into the wellness space with the launch of her new company, Joy 101. The brand will offer an app, live events, and a subscription newsletter, all designed to promote joy, mindfulness, meditation, and overall wellness. She told the outlet the venture is “really cool to just realize that there’s so much more to life.” 

She added, “I wasn’t able to bear witness to my kids’ daily lives because of what I was doing. I got to see Haley sing ‘What a Wonderful World’ at 9:15 a.m. — I would have missed that. I used to think life was the big things, but it really is all the stuff that happens in between.”

The former Today host revealed that the family has also been navigating taking care of her younger daughter Hope, who has Type 1 diabetes for the past two years.  Kotb referred to her daughter as a “trooper” for enduring the tough realities of treatment as she shared, “who calls her daughter ‘trooper’ for having had to deal with the unpleasant realities of treatment.” 

She explained, “She was getting shots — four or five a day — every day for a year. Now she is getting them less frequently because we have some other means to get her what she needs, but there’s a lot to it, Some kids can have sweets and she can’t. If she’s up in the night, we have to take care of her at night.” 

Kotb noted, “She is a happy, healthy, rambunctious, amazing kid, and we have to watch her. Diabetes is a part of her, but not all of her. I hope it shapes her but never defines her.” 

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Kotb reveals the reason behind leaving the Today Show 

It became non-negotiable for Kotb to be fully present for her daughter, however, that was not possible with the Today schedule used to run on. She told the outlet, “I really wanted to and needed to be here to watch over her. So, whenever she needs anything, and it can happen at night, multiple times, I’m up — I’m up up up.” 

She added, “But I would never, ever want Hope to one day grow up and say, ‘Oh, my mom left her job because [of me].’ It wasn’t that alone. But if you look at it cumulatively, it was a part of that decision.”

However, she also joked about having a “split” verdict over having her around all the time among children. 

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Kotb enjoys her downtime with her daughters

Kotb also opened up about how she is now enjoying sleeping in till 4:30 am. She also enjoys meditating, journaling, and walking her kids to school, along with attending gym or tennis lessons and her work. 

 She slao shared, “Sometimes I’m right there working in my office, and they’ll run up to the window and wave to me and throw up a heart [with their hands]. They’re fine because they want me to be here, they’re just happy to see me, and then they’ll go off and play.” 

Talking about how their nighttime looks like now, she shared, “I sleep in the middle so there’s no rolling over — and it is not my favorite sleeping position — but when I wake up and they’re both nuzzled into me, I’m thinking to myself like, ‘Oh my gosh, look at me! I get to lay here with these two kids, and all they want to do is be as close to me as they can get.’”