BY: Walker
Published 2 hours ago
Last week Hoda Kotb announced that she is bidding farewell to Today show anchoring duties after 17 years. Now it’s being reported that the Today executives have “begged” Hoda Kotb to not leave the morning show.
RadarOnline.com can reveal negotiations are said to be “in the works” amid denial from insiders over rumors Kotb was asked to take a pay cut, which allegedly spurred her decision to exit her post.
Sources claimed executives were hoping a lighter work load would entice Kotb, 60, to rethink her decision.
Insiders said: “There are negotiations in the works with pleas for her to do one day a week like Barbara Walters once did on The View.
“That’s why she’s been very vague about when she’s leaving and what she’s doing next. They’re still figuring it out.”
While sources claimed executives are hoping Kotb remain on air, even if it’s in a much more scaled-back capacity, the insider claimed the 60-year-old has much bigger plans on her horizon.
The source said: “She wants to do prime-time specials like Diane Sawyer does for ABC.
“This isn’t the last we’ve seen of Hoda.”
As for reports Kotb’s “vague” exit was sparked by being asked to take a pay cut from the network, the insider shot down rumors and insisted that wasn’t the case.
They said: “That’s not true, they are begging her to stay.
“Plus, Hoda has never cared about money. She’s not flashy.”
Previous reports alleged Kotb demanded an $8million pay increase – and alleged she helped “save” the show after disgraced former colleague Matt Lauer’s sex scandal in 2017.
Meanwhile, another insider close to the network claimed bosses have been working to convince Kotb stay remain on full-time at Today, but she “just didn’t want to do it”.
The source said: “Hoda feels at 60-years-old, morning TV is a young person’s game”, adding the early wake-up call time “messes up your whole life”.
While sharing how the structure of hosting morning TV impacted Kotb’s lifestyle, the insider claimed she also wants to focus on spending time with her two daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, whom she adopted with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.
A source revealed by the time Kotb wraps at the studio and her two young daughters get home from school, she’s “completely wiped”.
They additionally noted when Hope was hospitalized in February 2023, “everything changed for (Kotb) with her views on work”.
Kotb’s decision was said to rest on her wanting to find a better work-life balance as she raises her daughters, which at the moment does not mesh well with morning TV because “your whole life revolves around it”.
via: Radar Online
