Hoda Kotb has returned to the Today show after being away for over two weeks. The journalist made her comeback on the show on March 6, revealing that the poor health of her daughter led to her extended absence.
Kotb’s 3-year-old daughter Hope was in the ICU the last few days. She has now been discharged and is recovering at home. The longtime Today co-anchor had been missing in action since February 17. At the beginning of March, it was announced that she had to tend to a ‘family health matter.’
Hoda Kotb Reveals Daughter’s Health Scare as Reason for Absence from Today
Appearing on the show on Monday, Kotb discussed the matter with her co-host Savannah Guthrie. The 58 year old said, “My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week. I’m so grateful she’s home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely.”
Kotb got teary-eyed while talking about the health scare and said, “You know what I realized, too, Savannah? When your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have for people who helped you out.” She then thanked the doctors and nurses who treated Hope.
NEW: Hoda Kotb returns to TODAY after handling her daughter’s health matter.
“I’m so grateful she’s home,” Hoda said. pic.twitter.com/z5f8herdyB
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) March 6, 2023
“And I’m grateful to my family, and I’m grateful to friends like you who were there every single day. So, I want to say thank you for that. I love you,” Kotb said, to which Savannah replied, “I love you, too.”
The Anchor Describe the Condition as ‘Really Scary’
Further talking about her daughter’s condition, Kotb stated that the situation was ‘really scary’ and she is happy to have come out of it. “I’m over the moon that she’s home. And I can’t believe how amazing people are.”
“Like, that’s the thing I learned through all this; the nurses who stood by her all the way, the nurses who checked on her constantly, the doctors who came in, the people who took care of us. And I felt like we were held.”
Kotb then spoke to her fourth-hour co-host Jenna Bush Hager and expressed how fortunate she feels now that Hope is fine. “I feel blessed and grateful: really, really, really grateful. and, also, anyone who’s ever gone through an illness with a child, boy, I thought I understood you, but I didn’t, until you’re sitting in that position,” she said.
Kotb made her Previous Appearance on Today on February 17
The broadcast journalist previously hosted Today and Today with Hoda and Jenna on February 17, after which she went on a hiatus. Meanwhile, her podcast Making Space also stopped releasing new episodes, and she started sharing inspirational quotes on her social media instead of the usual family photos.
Viewers were then left concerned, after which Craig Melvin announced that Kotb was facing a ‘family health matter’ on March 1. “We know a lot of you have been wondering how she’s doing. We can tell you that Hoda is OK, [but] she’s got a family health matter that she’s been dealing with,” the third-hour co-host said at the time.
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