&34;You made me feel so good,&34; Kotb told her former coanchor. Hoda Kotb 'will never forget' what Savannah Guthrie said when she announced her Today exit

"You made me feel so good," Kotb told her former co-anchor.

Hoda Kotb 'will never forget' what Savannah Guthrie said when she announced her Today exit

"You made me feel so good," Kotb told her former co-anchor.

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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September 23, 2025 12:18 p.m. ET

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Hoda Kotb (R) and Savannah Guthrie on 'Today'. Credit:

Before Hoda Kotb told the world about her *Today* departure, she had to break the news to her longtime costars.

Returning to the morning show couch on Tuesday — in honor of her new book, *Jump and Find Joy — *Kotb told pal Savannah Guthrie that she was initially very stressed about revealing her exit. But in the end, Guthrie said three magic words that made it all okay.

"After I decided to leave the *Today* show, I thought about you a thousand times. I thought about how I'd tell you because you and I have shared all of our life discussions," recalled Kotb, who spent 17 years at *Today* and co-anchored alongside Guthrie for five. "I remember I dialed your number. My heart was pounding, like pounding. And you said, 'I'm at a wedding, hey girl!' being your awesome self. And I said to you, 'I have to tell you something.'"

Kotb continued, "And you go, 'Wait, what?' And you stop for a second and I told you.'"

Savannah Guthrie (L) and Hoda Kotb in 2024.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Guthrie's response made a big impression on Kotb: the former anchor admitted that the words have stuck with her ever since.

"What you said to me, I'll never forget for as long as I live," Kotb shared. "You said, 'I'll mourn for us later, but today, I'll say to you' — I'll say exactly what you said — 'you got balls!' That's what you said to me."

As both women dissolved into laughter, Guthrie joked, "Oh, it's poetry."

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Regaining her composure, Kotb pointed out that Guthrie's response has remained a great model for any time someone is delivering life-changing news.

"You gave me this feeling inside. You said, 'Today's for you. I'm not gonna say one thing about me today,'" Kotb said. "And I took that, by the way, that advice, that's very helpful in life when someone's telling you something. And I remember that moment like it was yesterday. And you made me feel so good."

Savannah Guthrie cries over Hoda Kotb's 'Today' show exit.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

The decision to give up her coveted place on the *Today* couch, alongside cohosts Guthrie, Jenna Bush Hager, and Al Roker, did not come lightly. Not only had Kotb spent 17 years on the show, she had spent 26 years total working for NBC. In the end, Kotb was fueled by a desire to spend more time with her kids — Haley, 8, and Hope, 6, — and focus on her new wellness business venture, Joy 101.

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Kotb opened up to PEOPLE about her departure in May, sharing that the decision came after Hope was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2023 and "I really wanted to and needed to be here to watch over her,"

But, Kotb clarified, "I would never, ever want Hope to one day grow up and say, 'Oh, my mom left her job because [of me].' It wasn't that alone. But if you look at it cumulatively, it was a part of that decision."

She added that she has thoroughly enjoyed having more time with her kids — and not having to worry about early call times.

"It's really cool to just realize that there's so much more to life. I wasn't able to bear witness to my kids' daily lives because of what I was doing," she admitted. "I got to see Haley sing 'What a Wonderful World' at 9:15 a.m. — I would have missed that. I used to think life was the big things, but it really is all the stuff that happens in between."

Watch Guthrie and Kotb reunite in the *Today* clip above.**

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