By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-09-26 15:52:25 | Updated at 2024-09-30 19:32:01
4 days ago
Jenna Bush Hager struggled to fight back tears as she prepared to say goodbye to her co-host Koda Hotb as she announced her departure from NBC's Today.
Jenna, 42, sobbed as she jokingly warned the TV legend that she will visit her house 'everyday' and become her 'stalker.'
'I'm going to be showing up at your house like the stalker you are to Zac Brown,' she tearfully quipped.
'I will be there on your doorstep, and we are your friends forever,' she declared.
Hoda, 60, who sat holding hands with her co-anchors as she made the announcement, promised she wouldn't become a stranger.
Today show icon Hoda Kotb has announced she will be leaving the show early next year (Pictured with co-hosts Samantha Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager)
'You don’t leave family so I am going to be haunting you forever.'
Today cohost Samantha Guthrie, 52, chimed in telling the beloved star, with whom she has cohosted the Today show for five years, that they love her 'so much.'
'Honestly, I don't think any of us can imagine - we don't want to imagine this place without you,' she told Hoda, adding she has 'complicated' feelings about her leaving.
'Because we love you so much and we don't want you to ever go,' Samantha said.
'But also, I just want to say, I am so proud of my friend. You have guts. For someone to leave at the top of their game, to leave something that's wonderful, that you love, where it's easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun. But saying, I dream even bigger for myself. You have so much guts. You inspire me. I love you.'
Chiming in with the praise, Al Roker told Hoda he has 'never known anyone like you.'
Hoda announced live on Thursday morning's show that she will be leaving Today early next year after 17 years on the flagship show.
The longtime TV presenter told her fellow co-hosts turning 60 had been a 'monumental moment' that made her decide it was time to 'try something new'.
She also said her daughters, Haley, seven, and Hope, five, 'need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.'
The Today host, who has been at NBC for 26 years, also wrote a letter explaining her 'painful' decision, explaining further that marking such a milestone caused a seismic 'shift' in her life.
Today cohost Samantha Guthrie chimed in telling the beloved star, who has cohosted the Today show for five years, that they love her 'so much'
The longtime TV presenter told her fellow co-hosts that turning 60 had been a 'monumental moment' that made her decide it was time to 'try something new'
Jenna tearfully told her beloved co-host: 'I will be there on your doorstep, and we are your friends forever'
'As I write this, my heart is all over the map,' she said. 'I know I'm making the right decision, but it's a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I'm feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it's time for me to leave the show.
'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.'
She continued: '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. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships.'
She went on to pay a heart breaking tribute to her 'ride-or-die' Jenna and claimed she will 'desperately' miss everyone she has worked with on the popular morning show.
'Savannah: my rock,' she continued. '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.'
Hoda described Jenna as her 'ride-or-die' in an emotional letter announcing her shock news
The TV star added that she has been thinking long and hard about the decision as she continued: '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! 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. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.
'Because I’ll be working through the beginning of 2025, there’s plenty of time to talk about what's ahead for all of us. But one thing I know for sure right now is this: everything’s going to be just fine. The Peacock’s feathers are never ruffled… no matter who comes or goes. TODAY and its amazing people — all of you — never waver. You always weather change with grace and guts.'
She concluded: 'Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart. I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.'
Although Hoda will be leaving her role in 2025, she said she would remain part of the NBC family in some smaller capacity.
