Hoda Kotb Drops Bombshell: Al Roker’s Reaction to Her Today Exit Will Stun You

Hoda Kotb says Al Roker's first response to her Today exit was... to hang up on her. Not out of anger, but classic Roker-level shock. It is a very inside baseball detail from a friendship that has lived on live TV for years, and it tracks.

The call that clicked off

Kotb announced in 2024 that she was leaving Today to try some new things, with her last day landing in January 2025. In her new book, Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life, she says she personally told coworkers one by one and saved Roker for the final phone call. The first moments did not go as expected.

'OK, bye.'

[Five minutes later]: 'I was just so shocked, and I couldn't process what you were saying.'

That anecdote comes via Us Weekly, and honestly, it is very Al: abrupt, then thoughtful. For context, Roker is 71.

Roker's public take was pretty sunny

A few months earlier, at the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston in September 2024, Roker told People he would miss working with Kotb but did not feel sad about the move. His view: she is not disappearing, she is shifting gears.

'I'm just so thrilled for her.'

He said he would 'feel much worse if she was leaving, but she's just doing something else,' and added that he respected her choice, including her wanting more time with family.

Quick timeline

• 2024: Hoda Kotb announces she is leaving Today to try new things.
• September 2024: At the Food & Wine Classic in Charleston, Al Roker says he will miss her but is happy for her and not sad about the change (via People).
• Late 2024: In Jump and Find Joy, Kotb shares she told coworkers personally and that Roker initially hung up when she broke the news, then called back five minutes later (via Us Weekly).
• January 2025: Kotb's final day on Today.