On Nov. 29, 2017, Matt Lauer was fired from the Today Show.

At 7 a.m., just as I did every day at the time, I was brushing my teeth, attempting to comb my hair and making my way downstairs to eat breakfast before getting on the bus just before 8 a.m.

But that day was different. As I was finishing upstairs, I heard the familiar sound of the Today Show’s opening music echoing from my kitchen. By the time I stepped into the room, I heard Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb reading the statement alleging Lauer’s sexual misconduct. 

This was just a week after CBS News fired Charlie Rose for similar allegations and was at a peak in the #MeToo movement when powerful men were being exposed on a near daily basis. It unfortunately was not shocking, but it was historic.

Just weeks after Lauer was fired, Kotb was announced as co-anchor of Today, which made her and Guthrie the first female duo in the show’s 70-year history. And this week, as Kotb announced she will step down from her role early next year, I hope they are not the last.

The Today Show has been formative culture for me both before and during my evolution as a journalist. 

I have walked through Rockefeller Plaza countless times, and I always hope to catch a glimpse of that famous desk. I have seen it a few times and always think about the legends that were born there. I have spent many mornings watching the show while drinking a smoothie from my Today Show mug that I bought at 30 Rock. I feel a nerdy sense of pride whenever guests on the plaza live even remotely close to me. Needless to say, I am a fan.

Even so, I was unexpectedly upset when I watched Kotb announce her departure last week. Kotb has been a trailblazer both for women of color (try to name another Egyptian network news anchor) and for older women in television. She is known for being open about her personal life, especially her late-in-life adoption of two girls when she was in her late 50s. But she is also a rare breed in network news these days — an unbridled optimist.

I knew who Kotb was from seeing her and Kathie Lee while scrolling through channels on days off school, but I came to love Kotb, as millions already did, once she stepped into that anchor role. Kotb wears her heart on her sleeve, and that comes across in every story she tells. As a burgeoning journalist, it is so impactful to have a bastion of our industry continue to put humanity first. 

Celebrities and newsmakers open up to Kotb because she makes people feel so comfortable to share their stories. In the early days of the pandemic, Kotb went viral for breaking down on air after an interview with NFL quarterback Drew Brees, who had just made a significant donation to help New Orleans fight COVID-19.

NBC has a long roster of talented journalists who can read the news, but selecting Kotb’s replacement should be about everything beyond the teleprompter.

Because what Kotb embodies is what journalists are here for — not just to report on the darkness that often accompanies the news, but to give space to the light.

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