Jenna hilariously rants about feeling ‘dumped’ by Hoda
Jenna Bush Hager is sharing more of her feelings on her friend Hoda Kotb’s impending departure from TODAY.
On the Oct. 25 episode of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, Jenna hilariously said that learning Hoda was leaving TODAY to try something new in her life was hard for her family to process.
“If any of y’all have ever been in a relationship like this one where it’s like we’re partners in everything — I mean, first of all, when I told my kids Hoda was leaving, I might as well have said Daddy’s leaving, because they were like, wait, what? Why?” she told the audience. “You know, they couldn’t understand it, and I understood it, even though my heart was broken.”
Jenna explained that people have stopped her in the street and told her that she needs therapy to deal with Hoda’s departure. Jenna then said she loves her co-host “so much” and spoke supportively about Hoda chasing her dream.
However, when she hears people congratulating Hoda on leaving TODAY, she said she can’t help but feel like the person who got dumped in a relationship.
“I am so proud of her. Although, I will say I walk around even here, and people are like, ‘Congratulations, Hoda!’ And I feel like the girl that just got dumped,” she said. “And people are like, ‘You made the best choice, Hoda!’ And I’m like, ‘Did she? Did she make the best choice?’
“But anyway, no, she did, and we will be part of this in every way we can, and we will miss her so much. But I am so proud of you,” she said, “and I apologize for crying and saying no when you first told me.”
During the episode, Hoda teased what’s ahead for her, saying she wants to “live in wellness” after she leaves TODAY.
“I want to work in that space,” Hoda explained. “I want to start things. I’ve got things that are percolating inside that I’m going to hopefully have fully formed soon.”
On Sept. 26, Hoda announced that she is leaving TODAY early next year.
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she said on air, adding that she’s going to spend more time with her children.
“Obviously, I had my kiddos later in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”