Today has finally addressed anchor Hoda Kotb’s mysterious week-long absence from the morning show – revealing that the 58-year-old mother-of-two has taken time off the air to deal with a ‘family health matter’.
Hoda sparked serious concern among viewers after disappearing from the Today show without explanation after her last on-air appearance on February 17.
Now, her co-hosts have shared brief insight into the reason behind her absence, with Craig Melvin telling viewers on Wednesday morning: ‘A lot of you have been wondering how [Hoda] is doing. We can tell you that Hoda is OK, she’s got a family health matter that she’s been dealing with.’
Craig, who was joined in the studio by Sheinelle Jones and Al Roker, did not share any other information about the ‘family health matter’, nor did the Today hosts reveal which members of Hoda’s family have been affected.
The Today show has finally revealed the reason behind Hoda Kotb’s week-long absence – explaining that the 58-year-old has been dealing with a ‘family health matter’
No other details were shared about the ‘health matter’ that Hoda – who has two daughters, Haley Joy, six, and Hope Catherine, four – is dealing with
The update came just one day after Hoda’s co-anchor Savannah Guthrie disappeared from the morning show mid-broadcast after testing positive for COVID-19 for a third time on Tuesday.
Savannah, 51 – who had been hosting the morning show alongside Sheinelle in Hoda’s absence – vanished from the studio around 30 minutes into the broadcast, leaving viewers baffled by her disappearance.
Later in the show, Sheinelle – who had been sitting close beside Savannah during her time on the air – explained that she ‘wasn’t feeling great’ so she decided to take a COVID-19 test, which came back positive.
‘It has been an interesting morning for us,’ Sheinelle, 44, said during the 8 o’clock hour of the show.
‘Savannah left early, she wasn’t feeling great, so she took a COVID test. It came back positive.
‘As soon as we found out, she rushed home to rest up. So Savannah, we love you, wishing you a speedy recovery.’
Speaking on Wednesday’s show, Craig, Al, and Sheinelle all sent best wishes to the two anchors, who made history in 2018 when they became the first-ever all-female team to co-anchor Today.
‘We look forward to seeing Hoda and Savannah back here at the desk very, very soon,’ Craig said, before Al chimed in: ‘That’s right. We love you both.’
The anchor co-hosts Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones and Al Roker shared the update with viewers on Wednesday – more than a week after Hoda’s last on-air appearance
Meanwhile, Hoda’s co-anchor Savannah Guthrie disappeared from the show mid-broadcast on Tuesday after testing positive for COVID-19 for a third time
Savannah, 51, appeared on-air during the first 30 minutes of the show, before vanishing from the air – and Sheinelle later revealed the reason behind her disappearance
Hoda’s last appearance on-air was on February 17, although she was featured on a pre-taped episode of Today with Hoda and Jenna, alongside Jenna Bush Hager, on February 20.
People were also quick to notice that she failed to release an episode of her weekly podcast, Making Space, this week.
The TV personality has not yet publicly revealed her reason for being away.
However, the mother-of-two has continued to post on her Instagram account during her absence, regularly sharing inspirational quotes, including one last week that read: ‘One day you will see just how brave you have been.’
She then shared another post that read, ‘”There are dark clouds,” said the boy. “Yes, but they will move on,” said the horse. “The blue sky above never leaves.”‘
A third message, posted by Hoda over the weekend, stated, ‘Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them.’
She also shared a drawing of a sky with clouds that said, ‘Choose hope,’ which she captioned with two heart emojis.
The on-air host has a history of sharing inspirational quotes on her account – and in October 2020 she even published a book of ‘words to live by every day’.
However, Hoda has not had the easiest year last year – as she split from her longtime partner, Joel Schiffman, in January 2022, after nearly a decade together.
She announced that they were going their separate ways on her show Hoda & Jenna, explaining that they decided they were ‘better as friends and parents than they were as an engaged couple.’
The Today show host insisted at the time that there was no bad blood between the two of them.
‘Joel and I have had a lot of prayer and meaningful conversations over the holidays and we decided that we are better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple,’ she said.
‘So we decided we are going to start this new year on our new path as loving parents to our adorably delightful children and as friends.
‘Its not like something happened. They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, this was for a season.’
During the episode, Hoda, who brought it up after her co-host Jenna pointed out that she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring, said it felt ‘weird and awkward’ to talk about it publicly, but added that she wanted to focus on the ‘joyous moments’ they had together.
She concluded: ‘A lot of women know what this feels like to be changing course in life I feel really breathe in this moment which is a strange feeling to feel. Sometimes in your life, you have to say the truth.’
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