Hoda Kotb made the difficult decision of quitting the Today show last month. The longtime NBC News host admitted to being “terrified” of the next chapter during Friday's episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna. The 60-year-old, who worked with the morning news program for nearly three decades, revealed what prompted her to make the move and expressed her co-host Jenna Bush Hager for constant support and guidance through her major career change.
What's next for Hoda Kotb after quitting Today? NBC host admits she's ‘terrified’
“Yeah, it’s scary. It’s terrifying. It’s all those things, but it’s also exactly right,” Kotb said of her career move on Friday. She explained that while 75 percent of her has “emotionally” accepted it, the rest of her is still digesting the idea that she's leaving Today after being a part of it for 26 years. The former Dateline correspondent announced in late September that she would quit the morning show in 2025.
As she is still a part of the show and has not embarked on the new chapter of her life, Kotb has yet to fully reconcile with her decision to quit. However, she has now decided to “fall in love” with new beginnings. “Whenever I made a leap, a move, a jump — it was, like, I’m falling in love,” the veteran broadcaster explained.
“When I moved to this town, I’m falling in love. I’m going to fall in love with a place, a restaurant, a friend, I’m going to meet a boyfriend,” she went on, likening her career change to “repotting” of a plant. “I love the term ‘repotting.’ It’s like you’re pulled up by your very roots, your foundation, everything that grounds you, and your roots are in the air and you’re scared. ‘Where am I going to land?’” Kotb said.
{{/usCountry}}“When I moved to this town, I’m falling in love. I’m going to fall in love with a place, a restaurant, a friend, I’m going to meet a boyfriend,” she went on, likening her career change to “repotting” of a plant. “I love the term ‘repotting.’ It’s like you’re pulled up by your very roots, your foundation, everything that grounds you, and your roots are in the air and you’re scared. ‘Where am I going to land?’” Kotb said.
{{/usCountry}}While it was hard for her to say goodbye to her Today family, Kotb is looking forward to “new adventures.” “I love new adventures, and I’ve been on the ride of a lifetime. And I think sometimes we’re afraid, because what could be better than this?” she explained.
“When you love something, it’s hard to say goodbye to it because it doesn’t make sense, but there was something to me about recognizing a peak and saying in that peak, like, ‘I do not feel that there is an opportunity that would make this any better than it is today.’” Kotb concluded.