Hoda Kotb Announces First Project Since ‘Today’ Show Departure: ‘You Get One Life. That’s all’

Two months after leaving the “Today” show, Hoda Kotb is announcing her first project since embarking on a new chapter. During Carson Daly’s “Pop Start” segment on the March 10 episode of “Today,” he announced Kotb’s forthcoming book, “Jump and Find Joy.”

In a video message, Kotb opened up about the inspiration behind the book’s title. “Everybody in their life, at one point, stands on the edge of something and says, ‘Should I jump? Should I try? Should I go for it?'” she said, according to Us Weekly. “And I felt that way about the Today show, and I was terrified to even think about jumping.”

“She was like, ‘You’ve jumped your whole life. You were in small markets in television [and] you jumped from city to city. You jumped into relationships and out of them. You jumped into motherhood. You have a history of jumping, so don’t tell me that you can’t jump,'” Kotb said about the advice her friend Maria gave her that eventually led to her decision to exit “Today,” which she co-hosted from 2018 to 2025.

Kotb also noted how strong women like Viola Davis and T.D. Jakes’ daughter Sarah Jakes were a source of inspiration for penning the book.

“I started thinking about different people who I’ve loved and respected and admired who have been afraid to do something and have done it, and I included some of them in the book,” Kotb said. “Viola Davis: This woman went from on her knees to this incredible spot, and it was an image that caused her to jump. Sarah Jakes, who’s also in the book, T.D. Jakes’ daughter, she’s a pastor and she said, ‘When you jump, you have to imagine yourself on the other side.'”

She added, “Here’s my thing, you get one life. That’s all. That’s it. It’s ready for the taking. It only takes a jump.”

“Jump and Find Joy” is slated for a Sept. 23, 2025 release.

Hoda Kotb Hinted At Launching A Wellness App And Company

During a January 2025 appearance on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Kotb teased a “wellness app and company” in the near future, saying that it could launch in the spring, according to Us Weekly.

“[It] will involve retreats and a podcast and all kinds of things that we can get together, do things that I love,” Kotb told host Kelly Clarkson. “It’s not like going to Mexico with your girls, which is fun, but this is something that when you leave, you’ll go like, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel transformed. I feel different.'”

Hoda Kotb Is Excited To Spend More Time With Daughters Haley And Hope

In 2017, Kotb adopted her daughter Haley, who’s now seven years old. Then, in 2019, she adopted Hope, who’s five. In a January 2025 interview with People, Hotb gushed about how much time she now gets to spend with her two daughters after stepping away from the “Today” show.

“I’m going to let them take more trips and stay up a little later because part of the reason I put them to bed at that hour is because I’ve got to go to bed,” Kotb said. “I’m like, ‘Goodnight! Everyone’s going to bed.’ They’re like, ‘It’s 6:30!’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, lights out!'”

“I’m just going to let us be a family with a normal rhythm of life,” she added. “See what we become.”