Hoda Kotb On Her Daughter’s Health Struggles: “Still A Long Road To Go”

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In March 2023, Hoda Kotb was noticeably absent from the TODAY show. She was quiet about what was going on at first, and the other anchors on the show didn’t share much information at first either except to say that Kotb herself was okay.

Then, it came to light that Kotb was absent from the show due to a health scare involving her youngest daughter, 3-year-old Hope Catherine, who also has an older sister, 6-year-old Haley Joy.

When Kotb returned to TODAY, she opened up to Jenna Bush Hager about what happened. She explained, “Little Hope had to go to the hospital, and she was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for another week, and it was really scary.” At the time, Kotb was “over the moon” because her daughter was finally back home.

Despite her upbeat attitude when Hope first returned home, the health battle isn’t over yet. Kotb recently shared an update on her daughter’s health with PEOPLE saying, “Hope’s doing much better, much better.” She added, “I think it’s going to be a longer road, but she is doing great.”

While Hope may not be 100% better just yet, Kotb described her as “a happy child” and said that’s “the most important thing.” She also mentioned her older daughter, calling her “a really supportive big sister.”

Kotb has not given specifics about her daughter’s health battle, but she did tell PEOPLE that they plan to “count our blessings” and “have a real fun summer.”

Kotb explained, “We have figured out kind of a rhythm and life throws all kinds of curve balls at you and it’s sort of like what do you do with it, and it’s funny because no matter what you go through if you look over to the left or over to the right, someone else is going through something much more difficult.”

Watch the video below to learn more about Hope’s health battle and her road to recovery.

Why do you think Kotb is being so secretive about her daughter’s diagnosis and health condition? Does it surprise you how optimistic Kotb seems to be despite her daughter’s health scare?