Just weeks before Hoda Kotb announced she was leaving “Today,” she gave up her New York City apartment and moved into a suburban home with her two daughters.
The 60-year-old, who is also mom to adopted daughters Hayley (7) and Hope (5), talked about the move on the Aug. 27 episode of “TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.”
“It's all new — new kids, new school, new things, everything is new,” she said. “And it's funny because all I could think about was that I wanted the kids in my home to feel warm and comfortable and a place they wanted to spend time. And that's it.”
Revealing that her daughters now have their own rooms, Kotb said she is happy with this big change in her life.
“I love starting over, replanting and starting something new. It feels really good,” she said.
Kotb adopted Haley and Hope in 2017 and 2019, respectively, while they lived in her NYC apartment. During that time, she was in a relationship with financier Joel Schiffman. They got engaged in November 2019, but Kotb announced their split In January 2022.
On August 12, Kotb told People She was planning to leave next week. She said her departure was delayed because she had to work on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“I was in Paris, and then coming back and dealing with my birthday and stuff, it all got left behind. But we're almost there!” said Kotb, who turns 60 on Aug. 9.
He then explains the reason for leaving the city and moving to the suburbs.
“I want my children to feel the grass on their feet, and play in the yard, and ride bicycles on the street, and run up and down stairs,” she said. “I just see life for them in this perfect home in this beautiful little town where I know they will be able to blossom into beautiful, independent, strong women.”
Kotb also revealed that she is in the “replanting phase” of her life.
“That's the journey I'm on right now. And it's going to be a little sad to leave a vessel that was so comfortable for so long,” she said. “But in the end, it's going to be exactly what we need.”
Kotb first spoke about her move in March. “Making Space” PodcastHe told his guest, author Arthur Brooks, how he moved several times as a child.
“It's so funny because the stories I tell now as an adult are about how I endured or what I did to deal with it,” Kotb said. “Yet, when I'm preparing my kids, I feel like I'm trying to protect them from things they probably should be involved in.”
Kotb announced Thursday morning that she was leaving “Today.”
“I know I'm making the right decision, but it's painful. And you are all the reason for it,” she wrote in a letter to “Today” staff.
He too shared the news personally with his co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, Jenna Bush Hager, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones.
“I spent 26 years at NBC,” she said. “I just turned 60, and that was a very significant moment for me because I started thinking about that decade. I realized that at 60 I should try something new,” Kotb said, adding that she looks forward to spending more time with her daughters Hayley, 7, and Hope, 4.
Kotb clarified that she will remain at “Today” until early 2025, but in an unspecified role within the NBC family.
