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“Everything you need to know about Hoda Kotb's family after 'Today' exit”

Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors

Hoda Kotb is ready to devote more time to her family.

On Thursday, September 26th, episode of Today, Kotb, 60, announced she was leaving the long-running morning show, citing a desire to spend more time with her family as one of the reasons for her impending departure. In the past, the popular co-host has often taken time off from the show to care for her family. Kotb told viewers during the episode that she wants her children to have more time for her. “Obviously I had my children late in life, and I thought they deserved a bigger slice of my time than I did,” the journalist noted. “I feel like we only have a limited amount of time.”

Hoda Kotb appears on the NBC Today Show at Rockefeller Plaza on September 6, 2024 in New York City. The beloved “Today” co-host is leaving the show to spend more time with her daughters,…


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Kotb has two adopted daughters with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman: Haley, 7, and Hope, 5. The former couple first adopted Haley in 2017 and then Hope in 2019. After Kotb adopted Hope in 2019, she married Today to talk about the incredible bond between their two daughters. “I just feel like she is [Haley’s] “I have a life partner and I can't tell you how much it fills my heart to know that there is someone who will hold her hand throughout her life,” the TV host gushed. Kotb also described the joy she feels when seeing her mother Sameha interact with her girls. “I'm just happy that I get to watch my mom hold my daughters,” Kotb admitted, “which in my wildest dreams was never going to happen.”

Unfortunately, Kotb's daughter Hope had serious health issues that caused the TV personality to miss her co-host duties for several weeks. In March 2023, the best-selling author became emotional while discussing the situation. “My youngest, Hope, was in intensive care for a few days and in the hospital for a little over a week,” the broadcast journalist explained. “I am so grateful that she is home. She's back home. I've been waiting for this day to come. And we are watching them closely. I’m just so happy.”

Earlier this month, Kotb opened up about a big transition for her family move them from Manhattan to the suburbs. “We've had seven great years with kids in the city, and that's great, but I also think kids need to have their feet in the grass and in the dirt,” the mother of two noted. “I love city life and wouldn’t have traded any of these years.”

Kotb reiterated on Instagram Thursday that her mother and daughters will have more time for themselves in this new chapter of their lives. “My broadcasting career has been more than meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead of me and now my daughters and mother need and deserve a bigger piece of my time pie,” he said Dateline alum wrote.

Although Kotb will certainly be missed from the television screens, she seems ready to give her family a big piece of her “time pie.”