What Hoda Kotb’s “today” departure means for the Star Anchor era

On Thursday, Hoda Kotbthe ever-popular and ever-exuberant one Today Sitting on the Studio 1A couch with her tearful colleagues, the show’s co-host announced she would be leaving the show early next year. In the subgenre of Today Farewell, that was as truly harmonious and well-composed an exit as the broadcasters could have wished for – far from the infamous embarrassment Ann Curry Departure, apparentlynot to mention that Matt Lauer Rejection that heralded Hoda’s own ascension to the presidency. Tears, praise and declarations of love flowed freely. Savannah Guthrie called Hoda “our sunshine” Al Roker called her “our North Star.”

Hoda decided to step down on her 60th birthday in August, she said. She had reached “the peak of the wave” and decided that it was time to give her children “a bigger part of my time cake”. Of course everyone this is undeniably true. Hoda Is emerge victorious – thanks to the Olympic Games, Today just hit Good morning America for the first time this quarter since she started hosting in 2018 – and 60 is an appropriate time to turn to life’s true joys. (Hell, Woj I just did it at 55.) In fact, I was reliably told that Hoda had the idea of ​​leaving NBC on the occasion of her visit 50 also birthday.