NEWSHoda Kotb Unable to Hold Back Tears During Her Final 'Today' Broadcast: 'Can I Just Say Thank You?'
Hoda Kotb signed off as a 'Today' show anchor on Friday, January 10.
The one where Hoda Kotb says goodbye to Today.
The famed news anchor and talk show star was overcome with emotions as she signed off from her longtime position on Friday January 10. Kotb's adopted daughters Hope, 5, and Haley, 7, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, accompanied their mom for the bittersweet day.
Hoda Kotb shed tears while thanking her 'Today' show colleagues.
During her final broadcast in her role, Kotb couldn't hold back tears as she said: "Can I just say thank you? I haven’t been able to articulate it, because I’m a mess most times, but I just want to say thanks."
Thanking her colleagues, the 60-year-old expressed, "Carson [Daly], you're like the secret sauce on this show, man. Without you the show doesn’t hum. Like, you have the thing and you brought it. You bring it every day."
The famed news anchor was overcome with emotion as she bid farewell to the 'Today' show.
"Al [Roker], you’re my first friend here, the first person I met. When I got sick, you were the first person that walked into the room and said I was going to be okay," she continued.
Turning to her costar Savannah Guthrie, whom Kotb referred to as "my person," the I Really Needed This Today: Words to Live By author sweetly stated, "Who shows up for everybody? This girl."
Hoda Kotb brought her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, to her final broadcast.
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"When your brother died, it was this girl. When I was going through stuff with Hope, it was this girl," Kotb declared, referencing the time her youngest daughter was hospitalized in the ICU in 2023 because of a sudden medical crisis.
"She's in the room. She's always in the room and I love you," the former Dateline NBC correspondent added.
Saving her replacement for last, Kotb told Craig Melvin: "Craig, I mean, I'm so happy for you. You earned this. You own this. And come Monday at 7:00 a.m., I'm going to be dead asleep. But you're gonna be fantastic."
"You're going to bring it home! Craig, you're gonna be so good. You and Savannah are going to be magic," she predicted.
Hoda Kotb thanked fans at the 'Today' Plaza after her last show.
Lastly, Kotb walked over to the Today Plaza to personally say goodbye to fans.
"Can I just say thank you real quick?" she asked. "Can I just say thank you to every person who came out here? I read your cards. I got your bracelets I got the scarves you crocheted. I read the texts. I got everything. So I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you for coming out, for being here and for everything you did."
Kotb first revealed her retirement from the beloved morning news series in a letter to her fellow NBC talk show staffers in September 2024.
"As I write this, my heart is all over the map," admitted at the time. "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 you and it’s time for me to leave the show."
