Why Is Hoda Kotb Missing From 'Today'?

Today show viewers count on seeing their favorite hosts on TV every morning, so it's a big deal when one of the regular anchors is missing. Fans who tuned in early on Oct. 23 were left wondering why Hoda Kotb wasn't there at first to greet them—but it turned out there was a simple explanation.

As Savannah Guthrie announced at the beginning of Wednesday's show, Kotb was still working even though she wasn't behind the Today desk, as she was actually on assignment. No details were given as to what the assignment might entail.

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Later on Wednesday, however, Hoda appeared alongside Jenna Bush Hager for Hoda & Jenna.

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It's not too unusual for Kotb to be away from her post. In early September, the TV personality pressed pause on her hosting duties on the first day of school for her two daughters, Haley and Hope; in late August, both Kotb and co-host Guthrie took a week off from the show to be with their families.

Unfortunately for fans, Kotb's absence from Today is something they will have to get used to eventually. On Thursday, Sept. 26, Kotb announced she is leaving the show after five years as co-anchor of the morning program and over two decades at NBC.

"I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new," Kotb told the audience.

"I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me,'" she continued, referencing her 60th birthday celebration. "And I thought it can't get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on."

Kotb will end her run on Today sometime in 2025. No announcement has been made yet as to who will replace her as Jenna Bush Hager's co-host.

Next: Big Changes Coming to Today Show Following Hoda Kotb's Exit