Al Roker Teases Today Show Retirement Plans Amid Hoda Kotb Exit: ‘That Time Will Come’
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With Hoda Kotb’s recent announcement that she’s leaving the Today show, will Al Roker follow her lead and finally retire? He shared his thoughts about when the timing might be right for him to exit the morning show.
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When Will Al Roker Retire?
Roker has been a fixture on the Today show since 1996 and, at age 70, you’d think he might be eyeing retirement soon. He’s not opposed to the idea, but hasn’t yet revealed a solid end date.
In an interview with People published on September 30, Roker discussed when it might be the right time for him to part ways with the morning show. “You know when you know,” he said. “That was the kind of the beautiful thing for Hoda. You even look at… Joe Biden. It’s like, everybody has a reason that they decide it’s time to go.”
He’s not quite ready for retirement yet, but admits “that time will come.” He explained, “I don’t feel like that’s my time yet, but who knows. Maybe a year or two. Maybe not, but I’m enjoying it. I love this.”
He added, “You don’t get off the train until the last stop.”
On September 26, Kotb announced that she would be leaving the Today show. She said that turning 60 shifted her perspective and her role as a single mom to two children factored heavily into the decision.
Kotb held back tears as she shared her reasons for leaving Today. “I had my kiddos later in life and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time,” she said. “And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
The co-anchor also said she would continue being on the Today show “past the first of the year.” So far, it’s not known who will replace Kotb.
Days after Kotb made her announcement, Roker told People that he was “just so thrilled for her that I can’t possibly feel any sadness.” He explained, “I would feel much worse if she was leaving, but she’s just doing something else within our NBC News family.”
Roker also said he understood Kotb’s desire to spend time with her family. “And look, I’m very fortunate in that I’ve watched my kids grow up. Especially when Courtney was younger, I was in local news, so I was home in the morning with my kids. But she’s got two young daughters, Haley and Hope… Those moments, those kids grow up. I mean, it’s cliché, but because it’s true. It’s like you blink,” he said. “So I understand exactly why she did it.”
In a 2023 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Roker shared how he’ll know when it’s time to step away from the show.
“My dad drove a bus for eight hours a day and then he moved into management in transit authority and when he said it was no longer fun, he retired. He retired at the age of 55,” he explained. “I get up every morning and I get to be with these guys. I get to be with Savannah [Guthrie] and Hoda [Kotb] and Carson [Daly]. I cannot tell you how much I look forward to it. Every day is a different day and our audience who comes down to the Today show, our crew, our producers — how do you give up something like this?”
Roker added, “Willard Scott told me you don’t get off the train until you’re pushed off.”
For more on morning talk shows, check out our gallery on who the Good Morning America cast is married to and dating below.
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