HODA Kotb has given an update on her 5-year-old daughter Hope’s medical crisis after quitting Today and moving to the New York suburbs.
Broadcaster Hoda, 60, shocked NBC viewers with the announcement that she would be stepping down from her co-anchor role last month.
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It was revealed at the time that the TV personality, who is mum to Hope, as well as Hayley, seven, wanted to focus on her family.
She has now shared a positive update on Hope’s health, following a two-week hospital stay earlier this year for reasons never made public.
Hoda told People: “We’re in a place where Hope is thriving. She’s improving, we’re watching her, and I think as time goes on, we’ll have a better handle on it, but we’re already seeing great differences.
“We really have excellent care; I have people helping us out. I feel like she is finding steady footing.
“I just see that life for them in this perfect house in this beautiful little town where I know they’ll be able to blossom into beautiful, independent, strong women.”
Her move to the suburbs was motivated by a desire to provide her daughters with a sense of normalcy and a quieter environment away from the hustle and bustle of New York City.
Hota, who adopted both girls, broke off her engagement to her longtime fiance Joel Schiffman in 2022 after eight years of dating.
An insider said after her Today exit: “She wants a boyfriend, she wants to be able to date, she wants to have that in her life.”
She was last seen with a mystery man in March this year.
Today’s fourth-hour co-star Jenna Bush Hager has done her best to set up Hoda in recent years but didn’t have any success.
Hoda was previously married to tennis coach Burzis Kanga from 2005 to 2008.
MORE THAN MONEY
The source added that NBC had tried to convince the beloved host to stay at Today.
“For the last year, they were trying to convince her to stay. They didn’t want her to go, so they actually sweetened the pot and she was offered more money, but she just doesn’t want to do it,” they said.
“Hoda feels at 60 years old, that morning TV is a young person’s game. If you get up at three or four in the morning, it messes up your whole life.
“She started falling asleep during dinner. She had told me she has dinner ridiculously early because she’s been up since four, her whole rhythm is screwed up.”
The source said Hoda wants more of her life back, and it comes down to more time with her girls and finding love again.
HODA’S NBC LEGACY
Hoda’s illustrious career at NBC spans well over two decades.
ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS
The single mother was grappling with not having enough time to dedicate to her two kids.
The insider said that Hoda wants to be fully present for her girls, but that “she’s just completely wiped by the time it gets around to after school.”
They also added that everything changed when her daughter Hope fell ill last year.
“When Hope was sick and hospitalized, everything changed for her with her views on work,” they added.
At the end of the day, the host struggled to create a healthy work-life balance.
“I think people don’t realize to be on morning TV, it’s like being an athlete. Your whole life is about that.”
The insider said Hoda’s bedtime of eight o’clock meant that her growing girls were now having a later bedtime than their mom, and that was just one of the many issues.
“Hoda’s 60th birthday was a wake-up call that morning TV is a young person’s game, and the hours just get harder as you get older.”
HODA’S NEXT ACT
The beloved host has been in talks with NBC about her departure for “about a year” the source said.
The insider said that she will be staying within the NBC family and will be changing gears to special correspondent work and interviewing celebrities in long-format segments.
Hoda plans to continue recording her podcast, Making Space, and the accomplished children’s author will also continue authoring books.
Hoda Kotb’s farewell letter to staff
Longtime Today host Hoda Kotb penned the following letter to staff announcing her departure:
“To my Today family,
“As I write this, my heart is all over the map. I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now. I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.
“My time at NBC has been the longest professional love affair of my life. But only because you’ve been beside me on this twenty-six-year adventure. Looking back, the math is nuts. 26 years at NBC News – Ten years at Dateline, seven on the seven o’clock hour, sixteen on the ten o’clock hour. I’m picturing your faces and your families and all the ways you’ve lifted me up and inspired me. That’s my heart singing. So many of my professional relationships have become some of my most cherished friendships. Savannah: my rock. Jenna: my ride-or-die. Al: my longest friend at 30 Rock. Craig, Carson, Sheinelle and Dylan: my family. Libby, Mazz and Talia: my fearless leaders. I will miss each and every one of you at TODAY desperately.
“I’ve been weighing this decision for quite a while – Am I truly ready? But, my sixtieth birthday celebration on the Plaza felt like a shift. Like a massive, joyful YES, you are! I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie. I will miss you all desperately, but I’m ready and excited.
“Because I’ll be working through the beginning of 2025, there’s plenty of time to talk about what’s ahead for all of us. But one thing I know for sure right now is this: everything’s going to be just fine. The Peacock’s feathers are never ruffled… no matter who comes or goes. TODAY and its amazing people — all of you — never waver. You always weather change with grace and guts.
“Happily and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest work relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart. I’ll be around. How could I not? Family is family and you all will always be a part of mine.
“Love,
“Hoda”
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