Hoda Kotb may be fearful about her Today chapter coming to a close, but she’s excited about the prospect of starting a new chapter — in the wellness space, she announced on Friday (October 25).
During Today with Hoda & Jenna on Friday (October 25), Kotb shared her plans to venture into wellness after her exit for the first time on-air.
“What I wanna do is, I wanna work in wellness. I want to work in that space. I want to start things. I’ve got things that are percolating inside,” the longtime host shared. “But I want you guys to come along on the ride with me because let’s all get better! Why not?”
Today shared the segment on X, captioning it: “Sometimes we need to slow down, take a deep breath and make space for ourselves.”
Sometimes we need to slow down, take a deep breath and make space for ourselves.Hoda and Jenna are stepping into self care and chatting all things wellness today.Sponsored by Miraval Resorts & Spas. pic.twitter.com/twtexIo2MX— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) October 25, 2024
Jenna Bush Hager applauded the move and shared how she took the difficult retirement news, “Even though my heart was broken, I understood it. When you love somebody so much the way I love Hoda, I didn’t know she was going to go away but I knew it was in her, this dream.”
Kotb did not say whether she’d launch a talk show, podcast, or specific medium in wellness, but it was a rare signal of the direction she’s looking to take.
Earlier in the show, the 60-year-old also admitted on her overall headspace about leaving: “Yeah, it’s scary. It’s terrifying. It’s all those things, but it’s also exactly right.” Kotb explained that she’s “75 percent” moved on but the transition is difficult given she’s still anchoring the morning show.
However, Kotb — who’s been with Today for 26 years — said she has decided to “fall in love” with the idea of a new beginning.
“Whenever I made a leap, a move, a jump — it was, like, I’m falling in love,” she 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.”
Kotb likened her new start to “re-potting” a plant, in which you’re “pulled up by your very roots, your foundation, everything that grounds you and your roots are in the air.” She even wondered where she was “going to land” before amending, “so much of life is decision-making.”
She concluded, “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.’ Once that feeling hits you, it’s like this is it. I don’t want to spend the rest of my days trying to recreate the top of the mountain. It was glorious. It was unforgettable.”
In a memo to staffers last month, Kotb announced she would leave The Today Show in early 2025 to focus on her family. Her replacement at the anchor desk is unnanounced.
“I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while – Am I truly ready? But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are!” read the memo. “I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.” She also teared up while reflecting on the decision during an episode of Today that month.
Kotb is mother to two daughters, Haley Joy, seven, and Hope Catherine, four, both of whom she adopted.
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The beloved anchor, who replaced Matt Lauer in 2018 alongside co-anchor Savannah Guthrie (making for the first all-female anchor desk in morning show history) was also facing significant pay cuts when she decided to exit gracefully.
According to an October 16 Variety piece, Kotb’s significant salary decrease was estimated to put her in the $10 million-$15 million-a-year range (closer to Guthrie’s reported $8 million). As the outlet wrote: “For sure, it was Kotb’s call to leave Today, but the promise of having to absorb a substantial pay cut may well have accelerated her timeline.”
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