Hoda Kotb was thinking about leaving ‘Today’ for ‘a really long time,’ but colleagues were still ‘shocked,’ sources

Hoda Kotb announced she’s stepping down as co-anchor of “Today.” NBC

Hoda Kotb’s decision to leave “Today” didn’t happen overnight.

Insiders tell Page Six that retiring from the top morning show had been on the table for quite some time.

“There weren’t many people who knew she was considering it, but she has been thinking about this and contemplating it for a really long time,” a source told Page Six.

Kotb first broke the news to “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

We’re told Kotb broke the news of her exit first to her “Today” co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie.

Her fourth-hour co-host, Jenna Bush Hager, was the second colleague she told.

But most of the broadcaster’s fellow staffers at 30 Rock learned of her decision this week, giving them only, “a couple of days to process this,” before she dropped the bombshell on Thursday’s broadcast.

“People were shocked. It’s still very shocking,” the source shared.

Kotb also confided in Jenna Bush Hager. TODAY Show Kotb replaced Matt Lauer as co-anchor. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Kotb’s announcement comes as the show, which is often lauded as the top-rated morning news program, has seen a ratings surge in both total viewers and the coveted “key demo.”

The beloved “Today” anchor began her tearful announcement by explaining, “I do have some news. So, I was doing the math and I realized that I have spent 26 years at NBC.”

The broadcaster celebrated her 60th birthday last month. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images

She continued, “I just turned 60 and it was such a monumental moment for me… because I started thinking about that decade. Like, ‘What does that decade mean? What does it hold? What it’s gonna have for me?”

“I decided this is the right time for me to kind of move on,” she shared.

An emotional Kotb described the decision as, “the hardest thing in the world,” but she’s not stepping down immediately.

“I’m not going to be here past the first of the year. I’m going stay in the NBC family, but it’s kind of a big deal for me,” she said.

Kotb and her daughters recently moved to the suburbs. Hoda Kotb/Instagram

Guthrie, Al Roker, Bush Hager, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones shared their well wishes — and there wasn’t a dry eye on the morning show’s set.

We’re told tears continued to flow at a staff meeting where Kotb gave a “meaningful and heartfelt” speech, according to another insider.

Kotb and Guthrie were in tears during their staff meeting. Getty Images

“Savannah also gave a speech that had everyone in tears and stitches. Hoda cried. Savannah cried. Everyone cried,” they said.

Sources told Page Six Kotb recently fled the city for the suburbs, and her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 4, were the biggest factor in her decision to leave her lucrative morning gig.

Kotb will continue to have a role at the network. Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Guthrie and Bush Hager, however, need not worry because, “You don’t leave family, so I’m gonna be haunting you in your lives for a long, long time,” she told them.