Hoda Kotb announces 'Today' show exit in emotional message: 'Time for me to turn the page'

This story was updated to include additional information.

Hoda Kotb is saying goodbye to the "Today" show.

Kotb wiped away tears as she shared the news live on the NBC show on Thursday morning, describing the decision as the "hardest thing in the world." She said turning 60 last month was a "monumental" moment for her that made her think about the decade ahead.

"I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new," she said, adding, "This is the right time for me to move on."

Kotb also said that her children deserve a "bigger piece of my time pie." She plans to leave "Today" in early 2025.

Kotb has worked with NBC News since 1998, originally as a "Dateline" correspondent, and has served as co-anchor of the "Today" show with Savannah Guthrie since 2018. She assumed the co-anchor role opposite Guthrie after Matt Lauer was fired in 2017 over alleged sexual misconduct. Kotb has also hosted the "Today" show's fourth hour since 2007, most recently with Jenna Bush Hager.

Guthrie became emotional during the Thursday segment, telling her co-anchor that "we love you so much" and that no one at the show wants to "imagine this place without you."

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"I am so proud of my friend," Guthrie said. "You have guts. For someone to leave at the top of their game, to leave something that's wonderful, that you love, where it's easy and comfortable and beautiful and fun, and say, 'But I dream even bigger for myself.' You have so much guts. You inspire me. I love you."

Guthrie and Hager both held Kotb's hand as they sat on either side of her during the announcement, and Hager vowed that even after Kotb's departure, "I'm going to be showing up at your house. ... I'm going to be there on your doorstep, and we are your friends forever."

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Al Roker also reflected that he has "never known anyone" like Kotb, while Craig Melvin said she is the same person on the air as she is off-air. "You've been the heart of this show for a long time," he said. "There's no replacing that."

Kotb shared she realized it was time to leave during a celebration of her 60th birthday on the show last month, as she recalled thinking, "This is what the top of the wave feels like for me, and I thought, 'It can't get better.'"

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In a letter to "Today" staff shared on Today.com, Kotb said she will stay with the "NBC family" after leaving the show, though she did not specify what he role will be going forward.

"Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I've been lucky enough to hold close to my heart," she said. "I'll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine."

Telling her colleagues at the show that "you don't leave family," Kotb promised during her on-air announcement, "I'm going to be haunting you in your lives for a long, long time."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hoda Kotb leaving 'Today' show