Hoda Kotb is taking some time off again!
The co-anchor of the “Today” show adopted two daughters, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. After a health situation with her younger child, she has again taken some time off from her work commitments.
Hoda Kotb Takes Time Off From ‘Today’ Show Following Daughter’s Health Scare
The TV personality’s world was recently rocked when her daughter, Hope Catherine, had a health scare that required medical attention. Two weeks after returning from handling the medical emergency, Kotb has taken another leave of absence.
This time, however, Hollywood Life reported that it is not due to an unforeseen circumstance. Instead, she is spending time with her two girls on a spring break vacation. The publication also noted that Jenna Bush Hager is also taking a break, and they had pre-recorded episodes of “Hoda & Jenna” to air during the third hour of the “Today” Show.
After the 58-year-old returned for the first time on March 6th, she opened up about the reason for her previous absence. She said, “My youngest daughter, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week.”
Thankfully, she revealed that the 3-year-old was back home, and the family closely monitored her. She expressed immense gratitude and happiness for her recovery.
Earlier, the star’s absence from the morning show during the last week of February left viewers wondering where she was, as no explanation was given. However, The Blast shared that her co-hosts would state, “Hoda is out today.” Some fans took to social media to express their fears and send well wishes to the mother-of-two.
One person wondered about her location while pointing out that she had been away for a week and advised everyone to pray for her. Another was more concerned about when she would return to the show. A worried viewer wondered why the situation seemed “so secretive” and stated, “hope everything is good.”
This fan was very troubled and asked outrightly, “Where is Hoda Kotb. Why is she out for almost 2 weeks. Please, someone, tell us if everything is ok? Or is she on vacation?”
While she was away, “World News Tonight” anchor Tom Llamas and “Today 3rd Hour” co-host Craig Melvin filled in for their beloved colleague alongside Savannah Guthrie. The last time she was seen before her return was on a pre-recorded episode for “Today with Hoda & Jenna,” aired on February 20th, while her last live show was on the 17th.
Hoda Kotb Appears Distracted In First Appearance Since Absence From Duties
The co-host of the popular morning show made her return to the set after being absent since February 17th. Before coming back, The Blast noticed that she had been posting cryptic quotes that had her daughter’s name in them.
One of the first posts she shared was a picture of a cloud painting with the words “Choose Hope” written on it. Another image uploaded right before her return relayed an inspirational quote from the late Christopher Reeve. It read, “Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” In the caption, she wrote, “Happy Monday xo.”
However, despite the uplifting message, the star still looked distracted alongside her co-host Savannah Guthrie which was understandable. In an attempt to lift her spirits during a segment on Girl Scout Cookies, the 51-year-old compared the Egyptian-American journalist’s pink suit to the “Raspberry Rally” cookie.
Regrettably, Kotb appeared disengaged, and her gaze toward the camera suggested that she was thinking, “Is this over?” Later while they chatted, the former correspondent for Dateline NBC, who still refused to disclose what her daughter’s illness was, told Guthrie:
“You know what I realized too, Savannah, is when your child is ill, the amount of gratitude that you have for the people who helped you out. And so I am grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell who were amazing and the nurses, and I’m grateful to my family and to friends like you who were there every single day. So I want to, I want to say thank you for that. I love you.”
To which the Australian native replied, “I love you too. You have a lot of friends out there.”