Why Is Hoda Kotb Missing From ‘Today’? Updates Amid Absence From 1st Portion of Morning Show

While Hoda Kotb shocked fans when she announced her decision to leave the Today show in 2025, many viewers were surprised when she was missing from the first portion of the October 23, 2024, episode. Why was Hoda absent from the episode two months before her departure?

Why Is Hoda Kotb Missing From ‘Today’?

Fans couldn’t help but wonder why Hoda was missing during the first half of the October 23, 2024, episode of Today.

Savannah Guthrie quickly set the record straight by explaining that Hoda wasn’t appearing on the show because she was busy working on an assignment. However, Savannah did not share any details about what the assignment was or when Hoda was expected to return.

Viewers didn’t have to wait long to see Hoda, and she eventually appeared for the third hour of the show alongside Jenna Bush Hager for Hoda & Jenna.

She has been known to skip the show in the past for special reasons. For example, Hoda took a brief break from her hosting duties in September 2024 so that she could be with her daughters, Haley and Hope, on their first day of school. Meanwhile, both Hoda and Savannah took time off in August 2024 to spend quality time with their families.

Why Is Hoda Kotb Leaving ‘Today’?

Hoda announced that she was leaving the Today show on September 26, 2024, and the show shared a note she wrote to her coworkers when breaking the news.

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

The broadcast journalist added that she had been considering leaving the show for a while, and had a major realization during a milestone birthday celebration. “But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are! 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 wrote.

The show insisted that she wouldn’t be leaving NBC, though her new role with the network has not yet been announced. In October 2024, an insider exclusively told Closer that Hoda is “not planning on disappearing from the network” amid her exit from the show. “She’s hoping to do some specials and fill in from time to time,” the source shared.

Additionally, Hoda told People in October 2024 that she was working on a new “wellness” project. Without sharing too many details, she teased that the project was still in the early stages of getting a “really good wellness app together.”

When Is Hoda Kotb’s Last Episode of ‘Today’?

Hoda’s last episode of Today will be on January 1, 2025.