Tamron Hall on Being Her Own ‘Backup Plan,’ New Book, More

Tamron Hall’s unexpected departure from the Today show in 2017 surprised fans — and even surprised Hall herself.

While speaking exclusively to Us Weekly on Monday, March 17, Hall admitted there were nerves over exiting the popular daytime show when she left. “People came to me and said, ‘You are so courageous,’” she explained. “And I thought, ‘I’m a 45-year-old woman. I’ve worked since I was 14.’ It was the first time I’d ever been unemployed. I was terrified.”

Hall added that she didn’t feel especially brave and also didn’t know what she would do next. But then a quote came to mind: “Throw yourself a pity party and then get up.” Hall did just that.

“I had to keep reminding myself that I am my backup plan,” she said. “My parents didn’t have gold bars in the backyard. My mom was a teacher. My dad was in the military, but what I had was the ability to believe and dream that I could keep going.”

Hall opted not to renew her contract with Today after the show gave her spot to Megyn Kelly. One year later, she found a new home at ABC, and her eponymous talk show launched in August 2019.

Still, her recent success doesn’t mean Hall has forgotten the lessons she learned. “I think none of us want to be written off,” she said, “especially women over a certain age. When you are over 35, you don’t want someone to determine your value. You don’t want to be written off as, ‘Oh, that was her.’ And I think at the time that I was in a position to look for my next chapter.”

That next chapter also includes the release of her new children’s book, Harlem Honey: The Adventures of a Curious Kid. While Hall admitted she “didn’t have a big reaction” to the departure of Today host Hoda Kotb in January “because I’d been long gone,” she added that she relates to Kotb’s “desire to find your joy,” which is a big part of the reason why she wrote her book.

“We deserve it in our children,” Hall added. “I wanted my son, who was showing up afraid of things or concerned about ‘this room is so big,’ how do I help him find his joy? Because on the other side of fear is fun. It’s joy. And so, for me, whether it’s a kid, whether it’s an adult, it doesn’t matter. We deserve to find that joy.”

Harlem Honey is described as “a heartwarming tale” that “blends family, community and the discovery of home.”

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi