Hoda Kotb has teared up over Andy Cohen's touching tribute to her following her shock Today show departure announcement.
The longtime news anchor, 60, revealed that she would be stepping away from the show in early 2025 on Thursday morning.
Immediately after, her dedicated fans, celebrity friends, an
Now, the mother-of-two has broken down in tears while reflecting on the world's reaction to her upcoming exit from the popular talk show.
During Friday's episode of Today, Hoda's cohost Savannah Guthrie started showing her some responses, including one from Watch What Happens Live host Andy, and immediately, Hoda became emotional.
Andy, 56, recorded a video of himself discussing the news while walking with his five-year-old son, Benjamin, on his shoulders.
'I am gutted by the news about Hoda. I'm gutted. This woman is so incredible,' he said, when suddenly, his son interjected, 'Who's Hoda?'
'Hoda is the queen,' Andy told the toddler, who repeated his statement.
Upon watching the interaction, Hoda began to weep as she held her hand to her heart.
'Yes she's the queen and she's leaving the Today show. We love her so much,' Andy added.
Savannah then showed an emotional Hoda a video recorded by popular podcaster Josh Felgoise.
'I just found out Hoda is leaving the Today show and I feel sad. She's like a mom, a TV mom to all of us,' he said.
The acclaimed journalist watched on as her tears continued to flow.
During Friday's episode of Today, Hoda's cohost Savannah Guthrie showed her some responses to her upcoming exit, including one from Watch What Happens Live host Andy
Andy, 56, recorded a video of himself discussing the news while walking with his five-year-old son, Benjamin, on his shoulders
In a third clip, Buttonista podcast host Taylor Rao said she was 'unwell' over the announcement.
'There are tears coming out of my eyes,' she added. 'I need to say, if you have not been exposed to Hoda Kotb's genuine love for life, her joy, her energy, her positivity... You can literally feel it coming through the TV screen.'
'Facts,' Today cohost Craig Melvin stated afterwards.
'We would be here for days if we ran all of them,' Savannah concluded.
Hoda, who has been a part of NBC for 26 years, explained on air on Thursday that she was leaving to give 'a bigger piece of her time pie' to her daughters, Haley, seven, and Hope, four.
She explained to her fellow cohosts that turning 60 felt like a 'monumental moment' and ultimately convinced her that it was time to 'try something new.'
'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,' she said.
'That's my heart singing. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships.
'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.'
Savannah also played videos recorded by popular podcaster Josh Felgoise (left) and Buttonista host Taylor Rao (right) as Hoda's tears continued to flow
Hoda, who has been a part of NBC for 26 years, explained on air on Thursday that she was leaving to give 'a bigger piece of her time pie' to her daughters, Haley, seven, and Hope, four
Hoda told her cohosts and viewers that a key part of her decision was down to her young daughters.
She stated: 'I had my kiddos late in life and I think that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie, we only have an infinite amount of time.'
The longtime host added that she will 'remain a part of the NBC family,' concluding, 'How could I not? Family is family, and you all will always be a part of mine.'
A source told DailyMail.com exclusively afterwards that her children were certainly the driving force behind her decision to quit the show, but they weren’t the only factor.
The insider claimed that Hoda became inspired to leave after seeing how much her former cohost Kathie Lee Gifford, 71, has achieved since stepping back.
'Yes, it's about her girls and being able to walk them to school but also, she's seen how rich a life Kathie Lee Gifford has lived since quitting – she's had a boyfriend, written a play, books, music, she even wrote and starred in a movie,' the insider said.
Despite her close friendship with cohost Jenna Bush Hager, the insider also claimed that the TV anchor always felt they never quite captured the chemistry she shared with Kathie Lee.
Hoda hosted Today's Fourth Hour alongside Kathie Lee from 2008 until 2019, with the pair delighting fans with their antics on the news and booze desk. She was replaced by Jenna, 42.
'It was never really the same after Kathie Lee left – they had the best chemistry together on the show,' the source explained.
Source : dailymail.co.uk
