Hoda Kotb Reveals Heartbreaking Reason for 'TODAY' Absence
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Hoda Kotb almost cried on air.
Hoda Kotb returned to TODAY and tearfully revealed why she was gone for two weeks.
“My [three-year-old daughter] Hope was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for more than a week. I’m so grateful she’s home," Kotb, 58, said. "She is back home … and we are watching her closely.
Related: Al Roker Speaks on Hoda Kotb's TODAY Absence
“When your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have for people who helped you out,” she added tearfully. “I’m grateful to the doctors and nurses, I’m grateful to my family and I’m grateful to friends like you [Savannah Guthrie] who were there every single day. I love you.”
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Gives Hoda Kotb Update
"I love you too," Guthrie, 51, replied." You have a lot of friends out there. We are right there with you, lifting you up and holding you. So let's do this."
Kotb previously posted somewhat cryptic messages on Instagram during her absence, leading viewers to speculate on what may be causing her absence.
On March 1, her co-anchors revealed that Kotb was away from the show dealing with a "family matter," but didn't specify what the family matter was.
Two days later, she made a brief appearance in a pre-taped interview on the show.
Last week, the morning show was down another anchor when Guthrie left the set during a live broadcast of the show after testing positive for COVID-19.
