Hoda Kotb Reveals How Al Roker, Savannah Guthrie Showed Up For Her Family During Her Four-Year-Old’s ICU Stay

Hoda Kotb recently opened up about her daughter’s medical scare that landed her in the ICU for several days in early 2023. According to the Today host, “things have stabilized” since then, thanks to the help of her village.

Speaking to People, Kotb revealed that her Today co-anchors Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie showed their support for her family as she missed work to be with her daughter in the hospital.

Kotb recalled feeling like she was “in a puddle” when Roker showed up to the hospital to visit. She added that Guthrie also took her older daughter, Haley, to the mall with her own kids while Hope received treatment in the hospital. She also showed up to Hope’s birthday party and helped out when Kotb “was feeling overwhelmed.”

“She goes, ‘I’ll hold court. I got it. You don’t have to worry about anything. I’ll talk to all these moms,’” Kotb shared.

Though she did not share the nature of Hope’s medical emergency, Kotb candidly spoke on how fearful she felt during her daughter’s hospitalization.

“We had a scary stretch,” Kotb said. “Any parent who’s been through a scary thing with their child understands. It’s like you just can’t believe that your child’s sick. You can’t believe that there’s nothing you can do. You can’t believe that no matter what you do, you can’t will it away or protect her, or all the things that we’re supposed to be doing as parents. And it’s a position I’ve never found myself in.”

Kotb added that she has since hired extra help to attend to Hope’s medical needs and her family has been visiting more to pitch in, too.

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The Today host missed two weeks of work to be with her daughter during the difficult time. But upon her return, Jenna Bush Hager publicly apologized to her on Today With Hoda & Jenna because she felt like she “wasn’t there” for Kotb.

After asking for Kotb’s permission to share the story, Bush Hager explained, “When Hoda’s daughter wasn’t feeling well, I just wasn’t there for her the way I wanted to be. And I didn’t know how to be, and I felt terrible about it.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes as she recalled, “I didn’t know what to do. So I just said it. I said, ‘I feel like I haven’t been there for you.’”

Kotb appeared to appreciated the apology at the time, telling her longtime friend and co-host, “It touched me deeply and it meant everything to me that you said that.”