Hoda Kotb’s Today show exit has sparked various reactions from her colleagues.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, Kotb announced she would be leaving her hosting gig of 17 years. Sources close to the Today show tell PEOPLE that this news was just as shocking to them as the public.

“This was a complete surprise to most people at the show,” the source says. “However, Hoda has put a lot of thought into it. She also talked a lot about it with both Savannah [Guthrie] and Jenna [Bush Hager].”

They add: “Ultimately, she made the final decision in the interest of her girls. The show is focused on Hoda right now, not on filling the roles just yet.”

Another insider expressed the love those who work with Hoda have for her.

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“Hoda’s news of course surprised some staffers, but she’s so beloved and everybody at Today is just wishing her well,” they tell PEOPLE.

Kotb shared the news in a letter to staff of the NBC show.

“As I write this, my heart is all over the map,” the journalist wrote in a letter to staff of the NBC morning show, shared Thursday, Sept. 26. “I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. 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.”

“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,” she continued. “I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.”

Kotb also shared she would be staying in her current role until early 2025 and assured that she wouldn’t be leaving completely.

“Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart,” Kotb wrote. “I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.”

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Kotb currently hosts Today, where she and fellow host Guthrie made history being the first pair of female co-hosts of the beloved show, and Today’s fourth hour with Bush Hager.

In September 2007, Kotb was the first host of Today’s fourth-hour at 10 a.m. before Kathie Lee Gifford joined in April 2008. When Gifford departed in 2019, Bush Hager became Kotb’s co-host.