Hoda Kotb announces she is leaving NBC's 'TODAY' show

Hoda Kotb will be leaving her role as a co-anchor on NBC's "TODAY" show early next year, she announced in a letter to staff on Thursday.

"As I write this, my heart is all over the map," she wrote. "I know I'm making the right decision, but it's a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I'm feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it's time for me to leave the show."

Kotb first joined NBC News in 1998 as a correspondent, regularly appearing on "Dateline." In 2007, she became the inaugural host of the fourth hour of "TODAY," later joined by Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager. She also became the co-anchor of the show's 7:00 a.m. ET hour with Savannah Guthrie in 2018. They were the first all-women pair to anchor the news program.

In the letter, the veteran journalist thanked the "TODAY" staff and wrote that her 60th birthday celebration on the show in August was a sign that she was ready for her next chapter.

Kotb said she will be staying within NBCUniversal, though she did not specify in what capacity.

"Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I've been lucky enough to hold close to my heart," she wrote. "I'll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine."

Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC and NBC, which broadcasts "TODAY."