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The Today Show was missing one of its best-loved hosts earlier this month, as Hoda Kotb was noticeably absent from the show from Monday, December 6th onwards, with the likes of Michelle Buteau and Willie Geist filling in for her during her unexplained time off. However, the 57-year-old NBC star finally returned to the show on Monday, December 13th, much to the delight of viewers and her co-hosts, and kindly let everyone in on where she was, and why she took that unexpected break from our screens.
According to Hoda herself, her absence wasn’t COVID-related or anything too worrying, as she confessed that she was simply relaxing at a retreat which required her to be off the grid. No phones, no internet, no technology! Who knew?! “I went to this retreat where they take your phone away,” Hoda told co-host Jenna Bush Hager for Today’s fourth hour.
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The explanation was posted on the @hodaandjenna Instagram page on December 13th, with the caption: “After some well-deserved time off, Hoda is back! She fills Jenna in on how she spent her vacation, including attending a retreat where her phone was taken away. ‘I was happier without it,’ Hoda says.”
And because she recalled how happy she was without her phone, Hoda said that she will now make a conscious effort to not rely on the device as much moving forward. “That was one of the things. And I’ve got to tell you, of all the things, after going almost ten days without it, it was so funny as I walked out back into the world and what I noticed is that everyone was hunched over their phone,” Hoda told Jenna.
She added: "And no judgement as me too, right, but I looked around and every single person was hunched. And if you had slept for 30 years like Rapunzel, you would know that when you woke up, everyone's looking at this tiny box and holding it like it's gold."
"I was looking around and I asked myself the simplest question, 'Was I happier with it or without it?' and I was happier without it," Hoda concluded. We're all guilty of spending a little too much time on our phones; but maybe we can learn something from Hoda and remember to take a break from technology over the holidays? Easier said than done, we know!
