Hoda Kotb is reportedly “dealing,” with a “family health issue,” which has resulted in her absence from the Today show.
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Kotb last appeared on the live iteration of Today with Savannah Guthrie on February 17 — which was followed by a pre-tapped President’s Day episode of Today with Hoda and Jenna. Additionally, Kotb’s co-anchor Guthrie left the live broadcast of Today on February 28 after she reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 while on air. According to Today members Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones, who have been filling in for Kotb, the Emmy-winning Journalist is expected to return to the desk “real, real soon,” and is “okay,” despite fans’ concerns about her well-being.
“We mentioned that Savannah and Hoda are both off. Savannah, she’s home after a positive COVID test yesterday. We are wishing our friend a speedy recovery,” Melvin started off. “And as for Hoda, we know a lot of you have been wondering how she’s doing. We can tell you that Hoda’s okay. She’s got a family health matter that she’s been dealing with, so we look forward to seeing Hoda and Savannah back at the desk real, real soon.”
“We love you both,” Today weatherman Al Roker added while blowing a kiss to the screen.
Roker himself returned to the Today show earlier this year in January after dealing with his own “life-threatening health crisis,” which caused him to be absent from the show for two months. Staff members of Today sang to Roker during his recovery at his home on December 12 — bringing the Weathercaster to tears during their performance.
Guthrie, on the other hand, took her to leave of absence in real-time after she was purportedly feeling under-the-weather mid-way through the broadcast.
“By the way, it has been an interesting morning for us,” Jones said during the broadcast. “As we said, Savannah left early, she wasn’t feeling great, so she took a COVID test. It came back positive.” Jones added, “So, as soon as we found out, she rushed home to rest up. So Savannah, we love you, wishing you a speedy recovery.”
No further details have been revealed at this point regarding potential return dates for Kotb and Guthrie. Throughout her absence, Kotb has been fairly active on social media and has shared a number of inspirational messages of optimism. On February 22 she tweeted, “Good morning! Here’s to the brave ones xo,” along with a photo illustration of a child and a horse that read “One day you will see just how brave you have been.”
Kotb has been a co-anchor for more than a decade since joining Today in 2008. Throughout her time on the show, Kotb has won multiple Emmy Awards, including one for Outstanding Morning Program for Today in 2010 and one for Outstanding Special Class Special for her children’s show Hoda and Jenna in 2018. The show also won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Program in 2020.