Hoda Kotb Announces Her Return to the 'Today' Show Following Maternity Leave
It's back to work for Hoda Kotb.
The 55-year-old Today show co-anchor announced on Tuesday on Instagram that she'll be returning to her duties on the NBC morning show on Sept. 3 after taking a maternity leave in April when her and her boyfriend, Joel Schiffman, adopted their second daughter, Hope. The couple is also parents to their 2-year-old daughter, Haley, whom they adopted in February 2017.
"You guys, I'm so excited," Kotb says in a video to her followers about returning to the Today show. "I'm not gonna lie, this has probably been the best summer of my entire life with these two kids. I've loved every second of it, but you know what else I'm gonna love? Coming back to you guys."
"So, I am getting ready," she continues. "I'm setting my alarm, 3:15 a.m., OK? We'll be back in business. I love you guys. I cannot wait to see you."
Hiiiiii!!! So excited to come back! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
A post shared by Hoda Kotb (@hodakotb) on Aug 20, 2019 at 5:00am PDT
Kotb also called in to the Today show on Tuesday, and told her team how much she missed them.
"I always knew how awesome our Today show family is, but you don't really realize it until you step away for a minute and then you think to yourself, 'Wow, I get to go back to that,'" she said.
Kotb has been sharing photos of her time off on social media, including having a beach day over the weekend with meteorologist Dylan Dreyer and Dreyer's 2-year-old son, Calvin.
"One of my fav days of the summer," Kotb captioned adorable photos of Calvin and Haley playing together. "Calvin+Haley. We loved it @dylandreyernbc @fishlense ❤️👶🏼👶🏼❤️."
One of my fav days of the summer. Calvin+Haley. We loved it @dylandreyernbc @fishlense ❤️👶🏼👶🏼❤️
A post shared by Hoda Kotb (@hodakotb) on Aug 17, 2019 at 6:42pm PDT
She also shared a photo of Schiffman and Haley holding hands on the beach, writing, "Every minute is precious. ❤️❤️❤️."
Every minute is precious. ❤️❤️❤️
A post shared by Hoda Kotb (@hodakotb) on Aug 18, 2019 at 12:33pm PDT
ET spoke with Kotb in May at Sesame Street's Sesame Workshop 50th Anniversary Benefit Gala in New York City, where she expressed how much she's enjoying being a mother of two.
"Yesterday, I was holding Hope, and Haley was bouncing around, and I thought to myself, 'This house is overflowing,'" Kotb said. "I don't know that I could have imagined having this feeling at this point in my life. I feel like I finally have a North Star."
"Some people are lucky enough to have their time in their 20s. Some people, for whatever reason, need to wait a little longer," she also shared about being a parent later in life. "But waiting ain't bad when this is at the end."
Watch the video below for more:
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