Hoda Kotb Explains 'Today' Absence: Daughter's 'Health Issue'

Hoda Kotb has explained her two-week absence from the "Today" show, saying that her 3-year-old daughter, Hope Catherine, had been in the ICU battling a "health issue."

As the Daily Mail noted, Kotb had not appeared on the NBC morning show since Feb. 17, and upon her emotional return, Kotb explained to co-anchor Savannah Guthrie why.

"My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and then the hospital for a little more than a week," she said, according to the Daily Mail. "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."

Kotb went on to pay tribute to the medical staff who took care of her daughter, as well as family and friends who had provided her with support.

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

"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."

On Wednesday, amid concern by fans, co-host Craig Melvin revealed that Kotb had been absent from "Today" while dealing with a "family health matter."

"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," he said.

Kotb adopted her first daughter, Haley Joy, 6, in February 2017. In April 2019, during a video call with her co-anchors, Kotb revealed that she had adopted Hope as well.

"It's a girl!" she said at the time, according to the Daily Mail. "Oh my god you guys. Well, first of all, she's laying on the pillow right now, and I'm feeding her, and I can't believe it!" she added.

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