The reason for Hoda Kotb’s absence was revealed as the anchor made her return to NBC’s morning show, Today.
Kotb, 58, choked up as she explained to co-host Savannah Guthrie that her three-year-old daughter, Hope, had spent time in hospital in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
“My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week,” Kotb said at the beginning of the show. “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. I’m just so happy.”
Kotb started to get emotional when talking about how grateful she was for the support around her and to have Hope back home.
“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 said.
“I’m grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell who were amazing and the nurses. 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 you for that. I love you.”
Guthrie replied: “I love you, too.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
The reason for Hoda Kotb’s absence was revealed as the anchor made her return to NBC’s morning show, Today.