Hoda Kotb announced on Thursday that she will be stepping down from NBC News‘ TODAY after six years as co-anchor of the morning show’s flagship program. Kotb, who turned 60 in August, shared that her decision came with a sense of timing. “I realized it was time to turn the page and try something new at 60,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. Her co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, visibly moved, expressed how hard it is for the TODAY team to envision the show without Kotb. Praising her courage, Guthrie said Kotb is deeply cherished by all their colleagues.

Hoda Kotb, a beloved figure in American television, has been a staple of NBC News for over two decades. She joined the network in 1998 as a correspondent for Dateline, covering an extensive range of both domestic and international stories. Her reporting took her around the world, from war zones to natural disasters.

In 2007, Kotb joined TODAY, initially co-hosting the show’s fourth hour alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. Their lively and candid dynamic quickly made them fan favorites. Even after Gifford’s departure in 2019, Kotb continued to shine, sharing the co-hosting duties with Jenna Bush Hager in the fourth hour.

In early 2018, Kotb made history when she was named co-anchor of TODAY alongside Savannah Guthrie, forming the show’s first all-female anchor team.

Beyond her journalistic achievements, Kotb is a two-time breast cancer survivor and a fierce advocate for cancer awareness. otb has spoken openly about her journey to motherhood, which came after she battled breast cancer in her early 40s. The treatments left her unable to conceive, but Kotb never gave up on her dream of having children. She has shared that becoming a mother through adoption has been one of the most fulfilling and joyful experiences of her life.

Hoda Kotb is a proud mother to two daughters, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine, whom she adopted. Haley Joy was born in February 2017, and Hoda announced her adoption later that year, expressing her immense joy at becoming a mother for the first time. Two years later, in April 2019, she adopted her second daughter, Hope Catherine.