Kathie Lee Gifford Reacts to Dear Friend Hoda Kotb’s Exit From Today

Kathie Lee Gifford is cheering on Hoda Kotb as she prepares for her next chapter after Today.

“Bittersweet news as my dear friend @hodakotb steps away from the Today Show,” Gifford, 71, wrote via X on Friday, September 27. “Her warmth, laughter, and incredible spirit have brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts. Here’s to new adventures!”

Gifford cohosted the fourth hour of Today with Kotb, 60, from 2008 to 2019 before she chose to pursue other opportunities outside of New York City.

The pair have remained close friends with Gifford continuing to appear on Today several times to promote various projects.

On Thursday, September 26, Kotb surprised viewers when she tearfully announced she would be leaving the morning show at the beginning of 2025. She hopes to spend more time with her family including daughters Hayley, 7, and Hope, 5. Her replacement has yet to be announced.

“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new,” Kotb shared with viewers. “This is the right time for me to move on.”

After sharing her announcement, Kotb was overwhelmed with support from coworkers and fans who have watched her hold various positions within NBC News for nearly 30 years.

Jenna Bush Hager, who has cohosted with Kotb since 2019, couldn’t hold back tears when discussing her friend’s new journey.

“Hoda told me just a couple days ago, and when she told me, my first reaction was from my gut and it was almost crazy. … I said, ‘No, you can’t leave,’” she said on Thursday’s episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna. “You’re who I come to when I’m feeling joyful, when I’m feeling unsure. You are who I come to and you believed in me first.”

For Today style editor Bobbie Thomas, who frequently appears in the fourth hour of Today, she will continue to cherish the special relationship she built with Kotb.

“Few things in life evoke the bittersweet beauty of being deeply proud and heartbroken all at once,” Thomas, 49, wrote via Instagram on Thursday. “Watching you ✨make space✨for this next chapter, Hoda, fills me with endless inspiration and joy to know all who have been ‘seen’ by you and for all you’ve accomplished and will continue to. Yet, my heart feels a profound sadness knowing this era is closing.”

In a statement to her colleagues, Kotb confirmed that she isn’t leaving NBC completely. Instead, she will likely make sporadic appearances for special assignments.

Her last show on Today is slated for the beginning of January 2025.