Savannah Guthrie made her feelings very clear when Hoda Kotb told her she was planning on quitting her role on the Today Show after 17 years co-hosting together
Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb were colleagues for several years(Image: Getty Images for Joy 101)
Savannah Guthrie gave a bold four-word response when she found out Hoda Kotb was leaving the Today show.
The duo had worked together on Today for several years, with Hoda being a mainstay of the hosting team from 2007 until she announced her departure in 2024. Now in her new book, Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life, Hoda, 61, is opening up about her life as a broadcaster.
Hoda started out working in local news before she joined NBC as a Dateline correspondent in 1998. After being diagnosed with breast cancer and battling to overcome the disease, Hoda then decided to go after what she wanted and pitched herself for the role of fourth-hour co-host to work alongside Savannah.
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She recalled how she became overwhelmed with emotion as she spoke with NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Zucker, writing in her book, “‘I want that job on the fourth hour of Today,’ I said. ‘I think I’d be good at it. I know you see me a certain way, but I can do this, and…’ And then I started crying and I couldn’t stop!”
Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb hosting Today(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Hoda departed her role at the show earlier this year, and in her memoir recalls how she broke the news to Savannah that she was leaving. At the time, Savannah was overseas for a wedding, so Hoda had to call her rather than tell her in person.
She explained, “I reached her by phone and then waited as she tried to find a private place to talk. When I was done sharing my news, she got very quiet. Then she said, ‘God, you’ve got balls,’ I laughed.
“‘You’ve got courage,’ she continued. ‘I’ll mourn for me and our show later, but right now, I’m just marveling at this whole thing. You’re leaving something that’s like gold in your hands, not because you don’t love it anymore, not because you’re tired of it; you’re just deciding. And that kind of leaving is really something to marvel at.’”
Hoda also described the moment she shared her news with Jenna Bush Hager and executive producer Talia Parkinson-Jones, as they met in her office and sat on the couch.
Jenna Bush Hager attending Hoda’s Joy 101 Launch Event
She shared, “Then, I began, ‘I have to tell you something…’ but before I could get another word out, they both shouted, ‘No, no, no, no!’ I kept trying to speak, but they wouldn’t let me, saying that word over and over. Finally, I managed to tell them that this would be my last contract.
“Jenna started crying, saying through tears, ‘I only did this because I’m with you. You chose me, and we chose us, and now it’s us. This is our show.’”
Hoda described how Talia tried to encourage her to stay for “just one more year,” but she couldn’t, as she wanted to “be able to be there for my girls and do basic things like walk them to school.”
She continued, “That’s when Jenna jumped in to say she could make that work. She was sure if I stayed on, it could be arranged for me to walk them to school one time. One time! We laughed at that. I knew their reactions were coming from a place of such kindness and love.”
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