Hoda Kotb says ‘strong’ daughter Hope is ‘getting better’ after ICU scare

Hoda Kotb has opened up about her four-year-old daughter Hope’s health and resilience two months after she battled an undisclosed illness in the hospital. 

The Today co-anchor, 58, gave up an update on her youngest child and the lesson that she taught her on Tuesday’s episode of Southern Living’s Biscuits & Jam podcast. 

‘My daughter Hope had a health scare, but she’s getting better. But I think I didn’t realize how much is already in you when it comes to your strength,’ she told the magazine’s editor-in-chief Sid Evans. 

‘To watch her go through a difficult time at just three years old is really tough for any parent because you’re helpless. But I think you realize just how incredibly resilient and strong she is.’

‘My daughter Hope had a health scare, but she’s getting better. But I think I didn’t realize how much is already in you when it comes to your strength,’ she said 

Kotb, who is also mom to six-year-old Haley, explained that both of her ‘daughters are strong women already.’ 

‘She’s teaching me, which is so funny,’ she said of Hope. ‘We think we’re teaching them. I feel like my mom raised me to be strong, and I did learn that. 

‘I mean, you learn through loss and through difficult times. And I think sometimes you learn life’s lessons from the most amazing places.’

Kotb’s daughter was hospitalized in late February and spent several days in the intensive care unit. The Today star missed two weeks of work while caring for her.  

During the podcast, the author recalled an inspiring conversation that she had with Hope in the hospital that blew her away. 

‘Hope said, “You know, I think God put me here to teach people things.” I said, “What? What? What?” She said, “Yeah, because my brain’s pretty big, so I think I’m supposed to teach people things,”‘ she explained on the podcast. ‘I said, “Sweetie, you are gonna teach people things.”‘

Kotb said the unforgettable moment took place after midnight, and she couldn’t believe the wise words that had come out of her little girl’s mouth. 

‘She’s blurting that out, I’m like, “Was that real? What just happened? Did she say that?”‘ she said with a laugh. ‘It’s like, learn from our kids. 

The Today co-anchor, who also has a six-year-old daughter, Haley, missed two weeks of work while caring for Hope in the hospital. The little girl spent several days in the ICU

Kotb recalled an inspiring conversation that she had with Hope in the hospital that blew her away. ‘I think God put me here to teach people things,’ her youngest daughter told her 

‘And all we have to do is model, we don’t have to teach anything,’ she added. ‘Just be you. Be you, or be a better version of you. And then learn from them.’

Kotb’s absence from the Today show in February sparked concern among fans. After more than a week off air, her co-star Craig Melvin reassured viewers on March 1 that she was ‘OK’ but was dealing with a ‘family health matter.’ 

The mom opened up about Hope’s hospital stay when she returned to work on March 6. Prior to the episode, she hadn’t been on air since February 17. 

‘My youngest Hope was in the ICU for a few days and then the hospital for a little more than a week,’ she told her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie. ‘I’m so grateful she is home, she is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy.

‘And you know what I realized too, Savannah? When your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have for people who have helped you out,’ she continued. 

‘I’m grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell 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. 

‘I want to say thank you for that. I love you.’

Kotb, who had not appeared on air since February 17, first opened up about Hope’s hospital stay with her co-anchor Savannah Guthrie when she returned to work on March 6 

‘I’m grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell 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,’ she said

Kotb also reflected on how her daughter’s health scare has given her a newfound perspective. 

‘I feel like, life is one way on a Monday — and we all have our Mondays and we complain about them. We’re like, “Oh, what a crummy Monday,” and then Tuesday rolls around and something really hits hard, and you realize that Monday was actually pretty awesome,’ Kotb told her co-host Jenna Bush Hager. 

‘So for us, it was little Hope had to go to the hospital, and she was in the ICU for a few days and then the hospital for another week and it was really scary. And she’s vibrant and brilliant.’

Kotb added that her youngest daughter has remained selfless and generous during her illness. 

‘The other day, she just got up from bed, and she was so sweet and cute, and she wasn’t feeling great,’ the mom explained. ‘She had in her hand two little confetti stars. 

And I looked at her, ’cause I had just gotten out of the shower, and I turned, and she was sitting there. And she said, “I got two, Mom.” 

‘And I said, “Oh my gosh.” She goes, “One for me and one for you.” And I thought to myself, “This child, even when she’s not feeling good, she [is] still giving everything away.”‘