Kathie Lee Gifford shares praise for Hoda Kotb after announcing her departure from Today.
The TV personality, 71, shared a sweet message about her friend and former co-host following the announcement.
“Bittersweet news as my dear friend @hodakotb is stepping away from the Today Show,” she wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), alongside two photos of the pair hosting the fourth hour Today.
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“Her warmth, laughter and incredible spirit brightened our mornings and touched countless hearts,” she continued. “Here’s to new adventures!”
The couple hosted the fourth hour Today from 2008 to 2018, Kotb, 60, said on an episode of Busy Philipps’ Busy this week in July that working with Gifford for 11 years finally gave her a sense of career direction.
“It was always like putting a circle in a square,” she said. “I could feel it. It just wasn’t right, and the first time I sat with Kat, I felt like I was riding a wave . . . I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is how you feel when you’re doing something you’re supposed to be doing.’ ”
From left: Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford on ‘Today’ on Tuesday, April 2, 2019.
Tyler Essary/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
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Kathie Lee Gifford reunites with Hod Kotb Today and does a hilarious Regis Philbin impression – watch!
On September 26, Kotb wrote a letter to her staff, detailing her reasons behind her decision to leave the NBC morning show before announcing it on 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 painful. And you’re all the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I feel that deeply right now. I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”
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“My television career has been beyond the pale, a new decade of my life is upon us, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time,” she continued. “I’m going to miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”
Kotb is set to end her duties in early 2025, but she will still “remain in the NBC family.”
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Source: HIS Education