Hoda Kotb reveals the exact moment she decided to quit 'Today' show

Hoda Kotb opened up about her surprising decision to quit the Today show.

On Monday, October 7, the renowned host revealed that on her 60th birthday, she felt it was time to make major changes in life during an interesting conversation with Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show.

As reported by People magazine, Hoda said, "When I turned 60, something weird happened, man."

The American journalist added that on her birthday she had a "beautiful party" at the Today show.

She continued, “I looked out at the sea of all the people who came and beautiful signs and so many well wishes and I knew in my heart like, this is it, man. This is what the mountaintop must feel like. Like I’d never had that feeling before.”

The journalist further explained her tough routine and how she used to wake up at 3:15 am for show recording.

"Your life is going to completely change—this is fantastic!" Fallon said.

He jokingly added, "You’re gonna go to concerts! You’re gonna go out on dates, you’re gonna go to restaurants! You’re gonna watch bad TV. You’re gonna do whatever the heck you want because you don’t have to wake up at three in the morning."

Moreover, Jimmy asked Hoda about her daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5 reaction when she dropped the news on them.

She said, "I was telling them, 'Mommy is going to be able to take you to school,' and they go, ‘[Gasp] Wednesday?’ ‘No honey, not Wednesday.' 'Next week?' I go, 'No honey, not next week. Probably somewhere January, February.'"

"They said, 'January, February?' I might as well continue working forever. For them, it’s like till the end."

Morever, Hoda beleives it's time to focus on her children. She said, "...They need a little more of me and I need more of them, so I think it’s all gonna work out beautifully."

It is important to note that Hoda left the NBC morning show on September 26, 2024.