Hoda Kotb breaks down in tears during her last ‘Today’ show: ‘I’m a mess’

Hoda Kotb got emotional during her last episode of the “Today” show on Friday. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Hoda Kotb broke down in tears while filming her last episode of the “Today” show Friday.

“Can I just say thank you? I haven’t been able to articulate it, because I’m a mess most times, but I just want to say thanks,” she said through tears.

Kotb ended her 26-year career at NBC News with a jam-packed “Hoda-bration” that included an emotional video with interviews from her co-anchors, a custom gift from Jamie Lee Curtis, a video message from her longtime role model Oprah Winfrey and more.

Kotb has co-hosted “Today” with Savannah Guthrie since 2018. Nathan Congleton/NBC

The longtime broadcaster has shared a slew of emotional moments with her co-anchors –– Savannah Guthrie, Jenna Bush Hager, Al Roker and Craig Melvin –– since she announced that she was leaving both “Today” and “Today with Hoda and Jenna” in September.

“I decided this is the right time for me to kind of move on. And so with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world,” she said through tears on Sept. 26, 2024.

Kotb, 60, further broke down in tears with Bush Hager, her fourth hour co-host, when she discussed how “hard” it was for her to leave “something this amazing.”

Kotb also co-hosted the fourth hour of “Today” with Jenna Bush Hager. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images The broadcaster emotionally announced her departure in September. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

“It weighed a lot on me. I went back and forth and back and forth, and then I thought to myself, ‘You know, I think this decade I think I’m going to have to start choosing me,'” Kotb explained.

Bush Hager, 43, admitted that she initially struggled with Kotb’s decision and even called her dad, former President George Bush, crying over the news.

“At first, he thought something really awful [happened], like I lost a loved one, because of how emotional I was,” Bush Hager recalled in September. “And then, he said, ‘Oh, she’s leaving, because it’s time, and you’re going to be fine. It’s your turn. It’s OK.’”

Kotb, Guthrie and Bush Hager all broke down in tears when Kotb shared her news in September, as pictured here. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images Kotb called the decision at the time the “hardest thing in the world.” Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Bush Hager and Kotb have since cried over their relationship dozens of times over the last few months.

The former first daughter will continue hosting the fourth hour with various guests –– including Scarlett Johansson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer –– on “Jenna and Friends” until she feels comfortable picking a more permanent replacement for Kotb.

Meanwhile, current “Today” anchor and third hour co-host Melvin will replace Kotb for the news portion of the morning beginning Monday.

Bush Hager will work with various co-hosts before picking a fourth hour replacement. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images Meanwhile, Craig Melvin will work alongside Guthrie for the first two news hours. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

Despite leaving her NBC gig, Kotb clarified that she will stay in the “Today” family and will make appearances every now and then.

Kotb also divulged that she will be venturing into the wellness space. She said she will launch both a new company that hosts wellness retreats and a wellness app in the spring.

“I want to work in that space. I want to start things. I’ve got things that are percolating inside … but I want you guys to come along on the ride with me because let’s all get better! Why not?” Kotb said during an October episode of “Today.”

Kotb began her NBC career in 1998 while working as a “Dateline” correspondent. NBC / Today / Dateline / NBC Photo Kotb scored the co-hosting gig alongside Kathie Lee Gifford, pictured here, in 2008. © NBC Universal

Kotb has also expressed her eagerness to have a less demanding schedule, so she can enjoy her time in the suburbs with her two adopted daughters: Haley Joy and Hope Catherine.

“I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said during her emotional exit announcement in September.

The “Hope is a Rainbow” author began her broadcasting career in 1986 when she worked at a CBS local affiliate in Greenville, Miss., after graduating from Virginia Tech.

Kotb began filling in for Matt Lauer in 2017. Nathan Congleton/NBC Kotb went on to interview a myriad of celebrities, politicians and other influential figures over the years. Kristin Callahan / SplashNews.com

Kotb went on to work at an ABC affiliate in Moline, Ill., for a year and then a CBS affiliate in Fort Myers, Fla., for two years before becoming a local favorite at the CBS affiliate in New Orleans, La., from 1992 to 1998.

Kotb joined the NBC team in 1998 when she scored the “Dateline NBC” gig and worked there for ten years before transitioning to “Today with Kathie Lee [Gifford] and Hoda” in 2008.

Kotb eventually snagged the “Today” show co-anchor role alongside Guthrie in 2017 after Matt Lauer was terminated for alleged “inappropriate sexual behavior.”