Kathie Lee Gifford Praises 'Incredible' Hoda Kotb After She AnnouncesTodayShow Exit: 'Here's to New Adventures!'

Mar. 15, 2025

From left: Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford.Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images

Kathie Lee Giffordis sharing praise forHoda Kotbafter she announcedher departurefromToday.The television personality, 71, shared a sweet message about her friend and former co-host following the announcement.“Bittersweet news as my dear friend@hodakotbsteps away from the Today Show,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), alongside two photos of the pair hosting the fourth hour ofToday.“Her warmth, laughter, and incredible spirit have brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts,” she continued. “Here’s to new adventures!”The pair hosted the fourth hour ofTodayfrom 2008 to 2018. Kotb, 60, said on an episode ofBusy Philipps’sBusy This Weekin July that working alongside Gifford for 11 years finally gave her a sense of career direction.“It was always like I was putting a circle in a square,” she shared. “I could feel it. It just wasn’t right, and when I sat with Kat that very first time, I felt like I was riding a wave. I go, ‘Oh my God, this is what it feels like when you’re doing something you’re supposed to do.’ “From left: Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford on ‘Today’ on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.Tyler Essary/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GettyThe PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!On Sept. 26, Kotbwrote a letterto her staff, detailing her reasons behind the decision to depart the NBC morning show beforeannouncing it on the air.“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” she wrote. “I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love youandit’s time for me to leave the show.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“My broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my momneed and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie,” she continued. “I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.“Kotb is slated to conclude her duties in early 2025 but she is still “gonna stay in the NBC family.”

Kathie Lee Giffordis sharing praise forHoda Kotbafter she announcedher departurefromToday.

The television personality, 71, shared a sweet message about her friend and former co-host following the announcement.

“Bittersweet news as my dear friend@hodakotbsteps away from the Today Show,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), alongside two photos of the pair hosting the fourth hour ofToday.

“Her warmth, laughter, and incredible spirit have brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts,” she continued. “Here’s to new adventures!”

The pair hosted the fourth hour ofTodayfrom 2008 to 2018. Kotb, 60, said on an episode ofBusy Philipps’sBusy This Weekin July that working alongside Gifford for 11 years finally gave her a sense of career direction.

“It was always like I was putting a circle in a square,” she shared. “I could feel it. It just wasn’t right, and when I sat with Kat that very first time, I felt like I was riding a wave. I go, ‘Oh my God, this is what it feels like when you’re doing something you’re supposed to do.’ "

From left: Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford on ‘Today’ on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.Tyler Essary/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

Tyler Essary/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

On Sept. 26, Kotbwrote a letterto her staff, detailing her reasons behind the decision to depart the NBC morning show beforeannouncing it on the air.

“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” she wrote. “I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love youandit’s time for me to leave the show.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“My broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my momneed and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie,” she continued. “I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”

Kotb is slated to conclude her duties in early 2025 but she is still “gonna stay in the NBC family.”

source: people.com