Hoda Kotb Reveals What She Will Miss Most When Leaving ‘Today’

On By Littum

Today Show fans probably know by now Hoda Kotb departs after her final show on January 10, 2025 (mark your calendars!). NBC has also announced this Craig Melvin will step into Hoda’s place next door Savannah Guthrie. Today with Hoda & Jenna will stay Today with Jenna and friendswith rotating co-anchor next to it Jenna Bush Chin.

Amidst all this change, Good housekeeping spoke with Hoda in October about what’s next for her, where she revealed her plans to build a wellness brand. While Today mainstay is confident in his decision to step away and spend more time with his daughters, leaving NBC after nearly 3 decades is understandably bittersweet.

today pictured craig melvin, savannah guthrie and hoda kotb tuesday 19 november 2024

Nathan Congleton/NBC//Getty Images

Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on Today.

When asked what she will miss most when she leaves TodayHoda had the sweetest answer. “I will miss my intimate early morning conversations with Savannah and Jenna the most,” she shared GH. “When you’re bleary-eyed at four or five in the morning, when you’ve had a rough night with your kids or whatever — when you go in, that’s when you’re super vulnerable.”

“There’s something about being with people during that time, and that’s when you confess it all,” she continued. “And I will miss that because Savannah and I have had some incredible therapy sessions moments before we take off. It’s literally, ‘Give me the tissues. Okay, 3, 2, 1, go.’ And it’s crazy’.

today pictured hoda kotb and jenna bush chins thursday november 21, 2024

Nathan Congleton/NBC//Getty Images

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Today.

Hoda also opened up about her working relationship with Jenna over the years. “With Jenna, when I jump in the makeup room with her, we could sit for hours (and we often do),” Hoda said of her Today with Hoda & Jenna co-host.

“Sometimes she’ll just give me a look and I’ll just feel it all come out. I feel like that’s rare and I’m going to miss that. I’m going to miss the daily check-ins . Of course I want to be friends with them forever but I know the day to day things won’t be the same and that’s what makes me sad.”

We will miss seeing Hoda on our TV screens every morning, but we are so excited for her upcoming adventures.

Main photo by Jamie Kravitz

Jamie (she/her) is the news and SEO editor at Good housekeeping. She oversees GH’s digital news strategy, assigns and edits celebrity and entertainment news content. Before you join Good housekeeping in 2024 she was digital editor at women’s day. She has over 7 years of professional experience writing and editing lifestyle content for The Rachael Ray Show, The knot, Martha Stewart WeddingsInsider, Elite Daily and more. She has a BFA in Writing, Literature and Publishing from Emerson College and lives in Brooklyn with her cats Lumos, Linus and Milo.