Hoda Kotb opened up about her six-year-old daughter Hope Catherine‘s Type 1 diabetes, revealing that the diagnosis played a role in her surprising decision to leave The Today Show after so many years.
The former Today host officially left the show in January 2025, and returned as a guest on May 28th, much to the delight of her fans. During her guest appearance, she explained to her former co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin that stepping away from the show was the best choice for her daughter’s well-being…
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Hoda Kotb Talks About Her Daughter's Type 1 Diabetes
"As anyone with a child who has Type 1 (knows), especially a little kid, you're constantly watching, you're constantly monitoring, you're constantly checking, which is what I did all the time when I was at Today. You're distracted," the mom-of-two confessed.
"You just get a priority check in your life," Hoda, who is also mom to eight-year-old daughter Haley Joy, continued, adding: "I can be here and sweating what's happening to Hope in the morning and in the night, or I can be there and feel relief that I can see."
Hoda went on to give fans an update on her daughter's condition, reassuring them: "Hope is fine for most of the day. There are just moments where you have to watch her. I was totaling it up – five minutes at breakfast, five minutes at lunch, five minutes at dinner, sometimes overnight."
"Add that up, that's a half hour," she said, and added: "So for 23 and a half hours, she's every other kid. So I try to remember that."
The Making Space with Hoda Kotb podcast host also discussed her decision to leave the show in a recent interview with People, reiterating that she felt it was the best choice for her daughter…
Hoda Kotb Says Leaving 'Today' Was The Best Choice For Her Family
Hoda confirmed that leaving the show has allowed her to be more present and not constrained by the demanding schedule of a morning television show, which required waking up at 3:15 am!
"I really wanted to and needed to be here to watch over her. So, whenever she needs anything, and it can happen at night, multiple times, I'm up – I'm up up up," Hoda explained, before emphasizing that her decision was not solely based on her daughter's diagnosis, and therefore something that her daughter should never feel guilty about in the future.
"I would never, ever want Hope to one day grow up and say, 'Oh, my mom left her job because [of me].' It wasn't that alone," Hoda confirmed. "But if you look at it cumulatively, it was a part of that decision."
