TODAY executives haven’t given up on keeping Hoda Kotb on the show, and are begging her to stay despite her exit announcement.
A source exclusively told The U.S. Sun that NBC higher-ups still believe they can stop Hoda from leaving the morning show altogether.
A source told The U.S. Sun that NBC execs are still trying to convince Hoda Kotb, with Jenna Bush Hager on air, to stay on at Today even if it’s only one day a week[/caption]
Hoda tearfully announced her upcoming departure on Today last week[/caption]
“There are negotiations in the works with pleas for her to do one day a week, like Barbara Walters once did on The View,” the source said.
“That’s why she’s been very vague about when she’s leaving and what she’s doing next. They’re still figuring it out.
“She wants to do prime-time specials like Diana Sawyer does for ABC. This isn’t the last we have seen of Hoda.”
The insider also took issue with a Puck report that Hoda, 60, was asked to take a pay cut. The outlet reported the alleged cut was the real reason behind her exit at Today.
“That’s not true, they are begging her to stay. Plus, Hoda has never cared about money. She’s not flashy.”
MORE THAN MONEY
An insider previously said NBC execs had been trying to convince Hoda to stay on full-time at Today, but she “just didn’t want to do it.”
“Hoda feels at 60 years old, morning TV is a young person’s game,” the source said, adding that a 4am wakeup time “messes up your whole life.”
They added that it came down to wanting more time with her girls and finding love again.
ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS
The single mother of two has wanted to dedicate more time to her adopted daughters, Hope, 5, and Haley, 7.
They explained that with the hours that come with Today, by the time her daughters get out of school she’s just “completely wiped.”
They also added that last year, when her youngest daughter, Hope, fell ill and was hospitalized “everything changed for her with her views on work.”
Frighteningly, Hoda’s daughter was hospitalized in February 2023, though the host has not disclosed the nature of her illness.
At the crux of Hoda’s decision to leave Today was her struggle to find a manageable work-life balance.
The insider claimed that doing morning TV is akin to being an athlete, and that “your whole life revolves around it.”
Adding to the conflicting scheduling pressures is that Hoda’s 8pm bedtime became earlier than her daughters’ now that they are no longer toddlers.
HODA’S NEXT ACT
“Hoda has been in talks about her departure with NBC for about a year.”
Hoda will be changing gears to special correspondent work and interviewing celebrities in long-format segments, they added.
She will continue recording her podcast, Making Space, and the accomplished children’s author will also continue writing books, according to the insider.
In her announcement, Hoda said she will wrap up her time at Today in early 2025.
Hoda Kotb said she wants to give her daughters, Hope and Haley, more of her “time pie”[/caption]
Hoda Kotb announced she was leaving Today and told fans her run on the show is over in 2025[/caption]
Hoda Kotb told Today Show fans she is expected to wrap up her time at Today in 2025 (pictured on the show)[/caption]
