Hoda Kotb Departs NBCs Today Amid Lots of Praise and Tears

The morning had already been packed with tributes when the “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie looked at her longtime colleague, Hoda Kotb, and teased another surprise.“Well, listen, we have one final guest this hour who really wanted to wish you well on your next adventure,” Ms.Guthrie said.Kermit the Frog popped above the couch and began serenading Ms.

Kotb with “Rainbow Connection,” a song that she apparently sings to her two young daughters every evening.“Oh my God,” Ms.Kotb mouthed, as she held her girls on the “Today” couch and wiped away tears.During much of the 8 a.m.

hour of NBC’s “Today” on Friday, all of the big stories on a very chaotic news day — the Los Angeles fires, president-elect Donald J.Trump’s sentencing in a New York court, the Supreme Court TikTok hearing — were put on pause.Instead, the show turned into an extended celebration of Ms.

Kotb, who was anchoring “Today” for the final time.In September, Ms.

Kotb, in a surprise announcement, said that she would be step down from the job, one of the most prominent in television, after being part of the show for 17 years.She said at the time that her recent 60th birthday prompted her to want more time with her children.

NBC announced in November that a “Today” fixture, Craig Melvin, would replace her.Ms.Kotb’s departure has allowed NBC to flaunt something can be occasionally elusive to the “Today” franchise: a peaceful transfer of power.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

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