Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC
Hoda Kotb returned to the Today show this week after extended absences. On Monday, March 6th, she and her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie gave viewers some information about the "family health matter" that had Kotb away from the morning show.
"My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for more than a week," Kotb revealed. "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." The anchor didn't share the reason behind her daughter's hospitalization but continued, "When your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have for people who helped you out. I'm grateful for the doctors, 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."
The co-anchors shared a sweet moment before getting to the news. Guthrie told Kotb, "You have a lot of friends out there," pointing to the cameras, "who are right here with you, lifting you up, and Hope too."
Kotb is a mother to two daughters Hope, 3, and Haley, 6. Before Monday, Kotb's last live appearance on the Today show was on February 17th and co-anchor Craig Melvin assured viewers that she was "OK" but dealing with a "family health matter" during her absence. Guthrie was also absent from the show last week after testing positive for COVID-19 and having to leave in the middle of an episode.