Hoda Kotb Gushes Over How 'Magical' Life Has Been Since Leaving the 'Today' Show as She Reunites With Ex-Coworker Jenna Bush Hager

Hoda Kotb doesn't seem to have any regrets about leaving Today.

During the Tuesday, September 23, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends, the former daytime host, 61, reflected on what life has been like since retiring from television in January.

Her former co-host Jenna Bush Hager was curious about how she spends her increased time at home.

"Life has slowed down. The first week was magical," Kotb revealed. "The first week, you can do anything. You're like, 'Oh my God, I'm walking you to school. Let's go, backpacks!' Week two, with my kids, I'm like, 'Eat your cereal.' ... It becomes real life. But in the real life, in the moments, it is such fun."

She recalled a recent barbecue where she took pride in cooking the hamburgers and hot dogs.

"I had to Google. It came on fire," she admitted. "The neighbors came over. Their kids were running around my house. The hot dogs and hamburgers...I made them. There was music playing. There were drinks flowing...everyone was out at 7."

Bush Hager was happy to hear about her friend's early bedtime.

"I like that she hasn't changed too much," she quipped.

Kotb reunited with her Today costars earlier this month and shared more about the past nine months off television.

"Everything's great. My kids are in first grade and third grade. I now wake up at 5:30. I feel really good," she said during the Tuesday, September 8, episode of Today. "It's just a different life, but it's funny how easily you can find yourself starting something new. I miss you guys like crazy. Being here made my heart hurt a little bit."

"You can always come back!" Bush Hager exclaimed.

Kotb credited Bush Hager for carrying the torch on their daytime slot — even though she doesn't watch.

"You pretend you’ve been watching!" the mom-of-three teased her former co-worker.

"I don’t, I don’t," Kotb laughed. "But I hear it’s amazing! But you guys have been doing so, so well. It’s been fun to watch."

She announced her departure from NBC in September 2024 with an emotional on-air monologue.

"I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new," she said at the time. "I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.' And I thought it can't get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on."

Kotb continued, "Obviously, I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world."

The media personality shares daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 6, with ex Joel Schiffman.