Is Carson Daly leaving the ‘TODAY’ show?

Carson Daly has graced the silver screen in some capacity since 1997. From TRL to The Voice to The Today Show, his career certainly has longevity but an October 2024 interview alluded that the end might be sooner than fans would like.

“Wow, I cannot wait to get off television!” he exclaimed in a chat with Daily Mail. “I still see Jay Leno on TV and I’m like, “why?” No, I am… I am looking to cut back. I lost my dad when I was five, so my time with my kids is the most precious.”

Daly is the son of car salesman Jim “J.D.” Daly and Pattie Daly Caruso, a Coachella Valley TV personality. After his father’s passing from bladder cancer, his mother remarried Richard Caruso. Daly did not immediately follow in his mother’s footsteps.

He attended Loyola Marymount University on a golf scholarship and strongly considered becoming a priest but the love of the game took precedence over the cloth. After graduating he got an internship at a radio station while working on his swing. Soon his success on the radio would have him putting his clubs to the side.

MTV liked Daly’s work on the airwaves of KROQ in Los Angeles and offered him a life-changing gig. He was the host of Total Request Live from 1998-2008. This series was the first to offer fan and celebrity interaction. Stars would stop by the Times Square studios and fans would vote for their top ten favorite music videos.

“Before there was TikTok, before there was Facebook or Instagram or Twitter, there was this show,” Daly mused to Today. “You know where your celebrities are eating for dinner now. We used to watch TRL every day after school to get that inside.” 

In 2002, NBC came calling. Daly got to put his own spin on late night with Last Call with Carson Daly. Though he would stay with the series until its 2019 finale, he gradually pulled back from his hosting duties as the years went by. The network had him busy hosting other shows such as The Voice in 2011. Two years later, he added the Today show’s social media correspondent to his resume. This morning show duties only increased with time and he is currently a full-blown anchor.

Daly’s October 2024 comments were promoted by his co-anchor Hoda Kotb’s departure announcement. He is sad to see her go on one hand but also totally understands her reasoning. “That’s what I think about Hoda, I’m happy for her, she’s gonna get more time,” he went on to say. “Walking your kids to school is way more important.” Kotb is a mother of two girls. Beyond his career as a television personality, Daly is a father of four. He shares Jackson, Etta, London, and Goldie with his wife Siri Pinter.

While no official announcements have been made about Daly departing from Today, his interview has many speculating that after the festivities for Kotb’s semi-retirement are over, he might be the next one out of the door. He’s not the only anchor rumored to be eyeing a departure as Savannah Guthrie’s contract is up in 2025.

She also got tongues wagging in October of 2024 with her comments to US Weekly about Kotb’s departure. “We’re dear friends and we have a lot of similarities,” the mother of two explained. “We’re basically in the same phase of life.”

Looks like there may be a whole new slew of anchors on Today before we know it, but only time will tell which familiar faces we will be bidding goodbye to.