Photo by: Nathan Congleton/NBC

Kathie Lee Gifford is leaving the “Today” show after over a decade co-hosting the fourth hour of the NBC morning staple alongside Hoda Kotb. Her exit was announced to staff Tuesday via a memo from NBC News President Noah Oppenheim.

“It is with mixed emotions that I share the news Kathie Lee Gifford has decided it’s time to leave ‘Today,'” the NBC News chief wrote. “As we all know, Kathie Lee’s plate has been overflowing lately with film, music and book projects, and after giving us 11 extraordinary years, she’s decided to focus her attention full-time on those other creative endeavors.”

He continued: “When we first launched this incredible hour, no one could have predicted the lightning (or rather, wine) in a bottle that is Hoda & Kathie Lee. Whether in studio or on one of their many road trips, they have delighted our audience with their distinct brand of fun, friendship and adventure. During that time, Kathie Lee has cemented her status as one of the most enduring and endearing talents in morning television. In short — she is a legend.”

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Oppenheim noted that Gifford “is generously staying with us through the show’s next anniversary, April 7, 2019,” adding, “We will have much more to share before then about our plans for that hour, which will, of course, continue to include Hoda.”

Gifford has been hosting the final hour of the four-hour “Today” show since 2008.

See the memo in full below.

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All,

It is with mixed emotions that I share the news Kathie Lee Gifford has decided it’s time to leave TODAY.

As we all know, Kathie Lee’s plate has been overflowing lately with film, music and book projects, and after giving us eleven extraordinary years, she’s decided to focus her attention full-time on those other creative endeavors.

When we first launched this incredible hour, no one could have predicted the lightning (or rather, wine) in a bottle that is Hoda & Kathie Lee. Whether in studio or on one of their many road trips, they have delighted our audience with their distinct brand of fun, friendship and adventure. During that time, Kathie Lee has cemented her status as one of the most enduring and endearing talents in morning television. In short – she is a legend.

Jimmy Fallon summed it up best when he channelled Kenny Rogers on the tenth anniversary show earlier this year: Through the years, Kathie Lee has never let us down, she’s turned our lives around and she’s brought some of the sweetest days we’ve found…

As Kathie Lee told me today: “In 2008, I joined the TODAY Show family intending to spend one year. But something unexpected happened along the way: I fell in love with a beautiful, talented, extraordinary Egyptian goddess named Hoda, and an amazing group of individuals who work tirelessly and joyfully at their jobs, many of them starting at midnight, creating an unprecedented four hours of live television. I stayed year after year making a million memories with people I will never forget. I leave TODAY with a grateful heart but I’m truly excited for this new creative season in my life. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who made the years fly by.”

Kathie Lee is generously staying with us through the show’s next anniversary, April 7, 2019. We will have much more to share before then about our plans for that hour, which will, of course, continue to include Hoda.

Please join me in congratulating Kathie Lee on a dazzling run at TODAY. We look forward to celebrating her in the months to come.

Noah

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"Today" host Tamron Hall announced on Wednesday that she'll be leaving NBC and MSNBC following the cancellation of her hour of the daytime talk show to make room for the incoming Megyn Kelly. NBC was met with harsh backlash from viewers, but it's hardly the first time the morning show has been embroiled in controversy.
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Jane Pauley
Pauley served as co-host of "Today" for more than a decade alongside Tom Brokaw and Bryant Gumbel. But in 1989, Pauley announced she'd be leaving the show and Deborah Norville would be taking her place. The move was widely interpreted as "Today" replacing its female host with a younger woman, prompting swift criticism from viewers and the media.

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Ann Curry
Curry was brought on to replace the departing Meredith Vieira in 2011, and was ousted less than a year later for Savannah Guthrie in a move that became a huge embarrassment for "Today." Curry spent her final appearance on the show openly weeping. The well-liked anchor was reportedly driven out in a campaign orchestrated her co-host Matt Lauer and the show's producers.

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Natalie Morales
Morales stepped down as "Today" anchor in May 2016, jumping ship for a role on "Access Hollywood." The move was followed by reports that Morales was being ousted due to an affair-gone-awry with Lauer, but both parties swiftly came out and denied the allegations.

Also Read: Matt Lauer Explains Why He Denied Affair With Natalie Morales
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Billy Bush
During the 2016 Rio Olympics, U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte claimed he'd been robbed at gunpoint in an friendly interview with "Today's" Billy Bush. His story was soon revealed to be a lie by Rio police and security camera footage, causing some embarrassment for the show. Bush's continued defense of Lochte then led to a heated exchange with co-host Al Roker later in the week.

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Billy Bush (again)
Just a few months later in October 2016, at the peak of the presidential election, Bush was at the center of yet another scandal. This time it involved newly uncovered tapes from Bush's tenure at "Access Hollywood." After the audio surfaced of Bush egging on Donald Trump as he bragged about sexually assaulting women, the host was promptly suspended, then dismissed, from "Today."

Also Read: Billy Bush Out at ‘Today’ Show
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Tamron Hall
After the news that Megyn Kelly would be leaving Fox News to take on her own daytime show at NBC, Hall was informed by the network that the 9 a.m. hour of "Today" that she co-hosted with Al Roker would be canceled. Hall subsequently announced her plans to leave NBC in February 2017, inciting swift criticism of the network from her fans.

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The venerable morning show has been a lightning rod ever since Pauley was abruptly replaced by Deborah Norville

"Today" host Tamron Hall announced on Wednesday that she'll be leaving NBC and MSNBC following the cancellation of her hour of the daytime talk show to make room for the incoming Megyn Kelly. NBC was met with harsh backlash from viewers, but it's hardly the first time the morning show has been embroiled in controversy.

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