Hoda Kotb, a beloved mainstay of NBC News’ “TODAY” for nearly two decades, announced on Thursday that she will step down from the network’s flagship morning show after six years as co-anchor.

She said she made the decision after turning 60 in August. “I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and try something new,” she said, fighting back tears.

Kotb has co-anchored “TODAY” with Savannah Guthrie since early 2018. They were the show’s first all-female anchor team.

Guthrie, visibly emotional, said the “TODAY” team doesn’t “want to imagine this place without you.” Guthrie praised Kotb for her “guts” and said she is loved by all her colleagues.

In a written message to her colleagues, Kotb said her daughters and her mother “need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.”

“I will miss you all desperately,” she wrote, “but I’m ready and excited.”

Kotb said she would stay with “TODAY” through the start of next year. She paid tribute to her colleagues and joked that the “Peacock’s feathers are never ruffled … no matter who comes or goes,” referring to NBC’s logo.

Kotb joined NBC News as a correspondent for “Dateline” in 1998. She went on to cover a wide array of domestic and international news stories before joining the “TODAY” team in 2007, co-hosting the show’s fourth hour alongside Kathie Lee Gifford.

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