Sheinelle Jones Wipes Tears From Her Eyes After Hoda Kotb Announces ‘Today’ Exit

Today’s Sheinelle Jones wiped tears from her eyes as Hoda Kotb announced her exit from the morning show.

Sheinelle, 46, has gotten to know Hoda, 60, well after serving as one of the hosts of the third hour of Today on weekdays. Not only did Sheinelle become visibly emotional during Hoda’s announcement, but Savannah Guthrie also broke down in tears during the announcement made on Thursday, September 26.

Hoda explained that recently celebrating her 60th birthday was a catalyst for her decision to leave the show after 16 years.

“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new. This is the right time for me to move on,” she explained, adding that her daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, also played a factor in the decision.

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Her final episode will be on January 1, 2025, although she said that she will be remaining with NBC News in an unspecified role following her exit.

Today also posted the letter that Hoda wrote to her fellow staff members to share her plans to leave the show.

“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” she said. “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.”

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Hoda explained that she had been “weighing this decision for quite a while” and wondered if she was truly ready to say goodbye to the gig. “But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are!” she wrote. “I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”

She started serving as a correspondent for NBC News in 1998. Hoda began cohosting the fourth hour of the Today show with Kathie Lee Gifford back in 2008, and Jenna Bush Hager took over Kathie Lee’s role in 2019. The Oklahoma native also became the official Today cohost alongside Savannah, 52, in 2018.

“My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life. But only because you’ve been beside me on this twenty-six-year adventure,” the mother of two said in her letter. “Looking back, the math is nuts. 26 years at NBC News – Ten years at Dateline, seven on the seven o’clock hour, sixteen on the ten o’clock hour. I’m picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. That’s my heart singing. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships. Savannah: my rock. Jenna: my ride-or-die. Al [Roker]: my longest friend at 30 Rock. Craig [Melvin], Carson [Daly], Sheinelle and Dylan [Dreyer]: my family. Libby, Mazz and Talia: my fearless leaders. I will miss each and every one of you at TODAY desperately.”