For many, watching a morning news broadcast is part of their daily routine. It is nice to know what is going on in the world while sipping some java. The anchors on the show become almost like friends.
This is why many fans were confused why beloved Today show anchor Hoda Kotb has been absent from the show since February 17 with no explanation. They were beginning to get worried. Thankfully, NBC explained it all today.
Craig Melvin has been filling in for Hoda in the 7 a.m. hour of the show. He addressed the audience to explain why. "And as for Hoda, we know a lot of you have been wondering how she's doing. We can tell you that Hoda's OK. She's got a family health matter that she's been dealing with, so we look forward to seeing Hoda back at the desk real, real soon,” he said on air.
Hoda is not the only anchor out. Savannah Guthrie was also absent but for a shorter period of time. She had to leave in the middle of Tuesday’s broadcast because of our old friend COVID-19.
"We mentioned that Savannah and Hoda are both off. Savannah, she's home after a positive COVID test yesterday. We are wishing our friend a speedy recovery," Craig said.
It is unknown at this time which family member Hoda is supporting. Hoda is a single mother of two girls, whom she co-parents with ex Joel Schiffman. Haley Joy Kotb is 6 years old, and Hope Catherine Kotb is almost 4.
Hoda became a mother later in life, at age 52. "Family to me is everything — and having one of my own is something I never thought I'd have. I always imagined family as my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister. I envisioned it that way until I was 50,” she told People magazine in 2022.
Because of her earlier divorce and breast cancer battle, Hoda did not think having children was in the cards for her. “Imagine someone saying, 'Hey, guess what? You're actually going to have a whole other family.' It still surprises me,” Hoda admits.
It’s a surprise she absolutely loves and cherishes. “It delights me to know that I have Haley and Hope. They fell asleep on me yesterday after having meltdowns, and I sang to them, and in that moment I was just thinking to myself, 'I get to feel these things. We get to have this together.' It blows my mind that I get to have this adorable little family that's just right for me,” she gushed.
Since her absence on the show, Hoda has been sharing cryptic Instagram posts. While it is not completely out of character for her to share inspirational quotes, because much is unknown about her absence, internet sleuths are trying to read between the lines for more information. Fans want to know what they mean.
One post asks her 2.2 million followers to share who they believe in their life is magic. The picture simply states, “She’s magic, that one.” Hoda captioned it, “Who pops into your mind? I know who is in mine xo Happy saturday xo.” One shares the quote, “Sometimes miracles are just good people with kind hearts.” Another advises people to “choose hope.”
