Hoda Kotb is spending her first week away from Today exactly how she said she would: spending quality time with her kids.
Kotb, 60, shared adorable snaps of herself dropping her daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 5, off at school via Instagram on Tuesday, January 14. “School drop!!! Let’s goooo!” she captioned the post, which included individual selfies with each of her girls.
Kotb continued to show love for her Today show family by staying warm in a Today With Hoda & Jenna beanie during the drop-off. Haley, meanwhile, wore a beanie with the word “joy” embroidered on it, while Hope’s winter hat featured her name.
Kotb’s upload also included a clip of her shouting “I love you” and toasting with her coffee thermos as her daughters headed into their school building. As Hope ran to catch up with her big sister, she could be heard yelling in the background, “Hopey, wait!”
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Prior to sharing her school drop-off pics, Kotb started the morning on an encouraging note for fans. “Good morning! Happy tuesday — Sometimes just doing a little something … is enough xo,” she captioned another Instagram post.
Kotb gushed about getting to take her kids to school weeks before announcing her Today exit in September 2024. “We went for our first day of school, I carried a coffee and I had sneakers [on], and I walked my kids to school like normal people,” the TV personality, who moved to the suburbs last year, shared on an episode of Hoda & Jenna at the time. “It was awesome.”
Kotb cited wanting to spend more time with her kids, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, as one of the main reasons behind her decision to leave Today. “I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking they deserve a bigger piece of my time, the pie that I have,” she explained on the NBC morning show while announcing her exit in September 2024. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Haley and Hope joined their mother on-air during her final Today episode on Friday, January 10. On the show’s second hour, the family of three were surprised by Kermit the Frog, who performed one of their favorite songs, “Rainbow Connection.” Later on Hoda & Jenna, Haley and Hope sat alongside family members and friends in the episode’s live studio audience.
Kotb’s final week at Today was filled with emotional reunions, heartfelt gifts and touching tributes. Celebrities such as Simone Biles, Maria Shriver, Gayle King, Jimmy Fallon, former cohost Kathie Lee Gifford and Walker Hayes stopped by on Kotb’s last day to ring in her milestone career moment.
“I’ve become who I am on this hour of this show, and you were there with me every step of the way,” Kotb read from a letter she wrote to fans in a prerecorded video package on Friday’s Hoda & Jenna. “So, as I sit here today in my final moments on this final day in this chapter of my career, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my very full heart for the ride of a lifetime. I love you.”
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In the final moments of Friday’s Hoda & Jenna episode, Kotb drove away from 30 Rockefeller Plaza with her kids in her minivan. Attached to the back of the car were cans and a sign which read “Just Repotted.”
On Monday, January 14, Kotb celebrated her successor, Craig Melvin, during his first day as Savannah Guthrie’s Today new coanchor by writing him a poem that he read on-air.
“Craig! I’m moving forward, so reach back your hand. Grab the baton, your world will expand. The adventures are endless … the people so dear. Great memories await, year after year,” she wrote. “Day One! You are surrounded by love. Your team is the kind you can only dream of. Savannah, Al and Carson are here! With partners like these, your runway is clear. From out on the plaza, to inside 30 Rock. Your fans are so eager, they’re watching the clock. The time has arrived to rise like the sun. I am cheering for you, and a fabulous run! XOXO, Hoda.”