BFFs for life! Or not. Kathie Lee Gifford shocked Today fans everywhere when she announced she’d be leaving the NBC talk show for good in April after 11 years. And so it turns out, it may have a lot to do with her troubled relationship with her longtime co-host, Hoda Kotb.

A source told Closer Weekly exclusively that a lot of things have changed at Today for Kathie Lee over the last few months, and as a result, she has grown apart from her co-workers — especially Hoda. “Now she finds herself sitting alone in the basement with everyone else having fun hanging out in the dressing room on the first floor. Hoda has literally moved out on her. And moved upstairs,” the insider revealed.

Hoda Kotb Kathie Lee
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The source continued, “There was a time when Kathie would play Hoda her new music and Hoda would cry. She used to tell Hoda that she ‘understood her soul.’ Everyone knew she was being played — except Kathie.”

But now, they’re not as close as they once were. “At one point they were so close they lived in the same building. Now everything has changed. Kathie lost [her husband], Frank [Gifford], and needs a best friend more than ever. But Hoda got the baby, boyfriend, and top job and doesn’t have time for her anymore,” the insider shared. “They stopped hanging out before and after the show. They stopped lunches and dinners and going to the theatre.” So sad…

Perhaps Kathie has felt on the outs since it’s been rumored that she was at risk of being fired from the show before she announced her departure. “Executives at Today have quietly been looking for a replacement for Kathie Lee. NBC wants younger viewers, and at 65, she’s long in the tooth,” a source previously revealed to RadarOnline. “They want someone who can be a female counterpart to Craig Melvin, who isn’t even 40 yet.” The insider added, “NBC has made it clear how little they care about Kathie Lee and now she’s doing the same. She took weeks off to film a movie in Scotland and if something comes up with her kids, she takes the day off.”

Hopefully, Kathie Lee and Hoda can be friends off the air since things aren’t working out for them at work!

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