Hoda Kotb embarked on a 10-day road trip to secure her first TV job, ultimately facing rejection from every opportunity she pursued.

Hoda Kotb has been a mainstay on network television for many years. However, the Today host, who announced on Thursday that she would be stepping down from the anchor desk early next year, almost never appeared on television.

On the Today show on SiriusXM in 2016, Kotb stated that she believed she would only require one interview to secure her first TV job as a new college graduate.

"I asked my mom if I could borrow the car to drive to Richmond for the job interview. She agreed. I arrived at the station with my new green suit, well-groomed hair, and resume in hand."

As soon as she entered the station, Kotb knew she belonged. She scanned the surroundings and confidently believed she would secure the job in Richmond.

"The news director played my tape for a couple of minutes and then stopped it. He said, 'Oh, Hoda, you're not ready for Richmond. I don't know why someone sent you here. You're too green. You're not good.' And I realized I hadn't considered that."

Before she left, the news director informed her that a friend of his was hiring for a job in Roanoke, Virginia, three hours away, and she needed to arrive that day before he departed for a trip.

Kotb drove to meet the other news director, but he only watched her tape for "30 seconds" before informing her that she wasn't ready to be on-air.

"I exclaimed, 'Who isn't ready for Roanoke? Anyone should be able to find employment here!'" as Kotb stated.

Before sending her off, her interviewer mentioned a Memphis station that was hiring and advised her to bring her tape there.

"She drove across Tennessee all night and met a guy who took the tape, put it in, and said she wasn't ready for Memphis."

Kotb's afternoon trip unexpectedly turned into a long-lasting adventure.

"She stated that she spent 10 days driving around in that car and got rejected everywhere she went, including any location in the southeast."

A week and a half later, Kotb's mom needed the car back. However, on her way home, she got lost in Mississippi and came across a sign for a CBS station.

"She said, 'I'll go there and get rejected,'" I replied.

She was hired on the spot after the news director at the station watched her entire tape.

Her job served as her initial opportunity, which led her to various locations, including Florida, Illinois, and New Orleans, before she eventually landed a position at Dateline NBC in 1998. By 2007, she was appointed to work at Today.

"One person is all you need to love you," she stated. "You don't require everyone's approval. Sometimes you believe you need everyone to think you're good. You don't. You only need one."

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