TV Anchors who could be next to face the chop after Hoda Kotb’s surprising departure

Hoda Kotb’s shock announcement that she will be leaving Today after 17 years on the morning show has shone a light on the future of many of our favorite TV anchors, who are facing a critical time in their careers.

As TV networks tighten their belts thanks to economic issues and low ratings, high-profile stars will see changes not only to their contracts but to their shows on the whole.

Hoda wrote in a letter to staff on the show that she knew she was “making the right decision” to step away from Today, albeit a “painful one”. 

“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,” she said in the letter. 

She continued, “My broadcast career has been beyond meaningful; a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”

She will leave the show early next year, but co-host Savannah Guthrie remains as her contract will last another year.

© NBC

Another anchor with an uncertain future is MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who reportedly makes a whopping $30 million a year, although her contract is under review.

Rachel is a major drawcard for the network and has hosted her own show since 2008, but her $600,000 per episode salary may be cut next year. 

“We have had a tremendous shake-up in how TV is delivered and received, and the business is going through a major struggle trying to retain and grow revenues,” Joe Peyronnin, a former television news executive, told the Wall Street Journal.

© Bravo

Late-night talk shows are being slashed from five to four nights a week as the networks scramble to keep up with the changing television landscape. 

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and NBC’s Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon will no longer produce an episode each Friday. 

While Jimmy Fallon is safe until 2028, with his contract extended until then, and Stephen signed on until 2026, Jimmy Kimmel told the LA Times that he may not re-sign after his contract ends in 2025. 

© Jamie McCarthy

CBS already axed The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2023 after eight years on air. 

According to Forbes, this speaks to a broader trend of cable and broadcast TV versus streaming; only 57% of households now subscribe to cable television, and only three networks averaged over one million viewers during prime time compared to 19 in 2013. Only 30% of US adults use an antenna for broadcast TV. 

The beloved Good Morning America could see hosts George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts’s contracts in limbo after they end next year; they both currently make $25 million, but after Disney, who owns the ABC network, told the show to cut costs by $19 million, their future hangs in the balance.

© Good Morning America/ABC

Over on CBS, Evening News star Norah O’Donnell was dealt a 50% pay cut by the network after her ratings had dropped by 25%, and she faces the chopping board after Paramount also deals with wide-scale layoffs to cut costs. 

Clearly, the future of broadcast and cable TV is up in the air, and with it are the slew of beloved anchors sitting at the helm of some of television’s biggest shows.