Hoda Kotb Makes Tearful Announcement She’s Leaving ‘Today’ Show

The anchor made the emotional announcement on Thursday, as she confirmed she will stay with the NBC family.

She shared, "I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new. I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.' And I thought it can't get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on."

Hoda is also thinking about her daughters Hayley, 7, and Hope, 5.

"Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have," she explained. "I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world."

Reflecting on the exit, Kotb was in tears, saying, "It's kind of a big deal for me. I've been practicing so I wouldn't cry, but anyway, I did."

Hoda also wrote a touching letter to her “Today” family, writing, “My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life. But only because you've been beside me on this twenty-six-year adventure. Looking back, the math is nuts. 26 years at NBC News - Ten years at 'Dateline,' seven on the seven o'clock hour, sixteen on the ten o'clock hour. I'm picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you've lifted me up and inspired me. That's my heart singing.”

She continued, “So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships. Savannah: my rock. Jenna: my ride-or-die. Al: my longest friend at 30 Rock. Craig, Carson, Sheinelle and Dylan: my family. Libby, Mazz and Talia: my fearless leaders. I will miss each and every one of you at ‘Today’ desperately.”