Hoda Kotb reveals daughter’s diabetes diagnosis, shares details on ‘Today’ exit
Kotb revealed that her daughter Hope, 6, has Type 1 diabetes, a chronic autoimmune disease that requires daily management.
WASHINGTON — Just a few months after leaving “Today,” longtime co-host Hoda Kotb returned on Wednesday for a special appearance and shared new details about her decision to leave the morning show and plans for the future.
Kotb revealed Wednesday that her 6-year-old daughter, Hope, has Type 1 diabetes. She explained that while the main reason she departed “Today” was to spend more time with her daughters, the diagnosis was a major factor in her decision to leave the show in January, after nearly three decades with NBC and seven years as a “Today” co-host.
“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,” Kotb told TODAY.com.
Hope’s health issues began more than two years ago. In 2023, Kotb took a leave of absence from “Today” due to a family health matter. At the time, she shared that Hope had been hospitalized in intensive care for several days with an undisclosed illness.
“I’m so grateful she’s home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy,” Kotb said upon returning to the show.
Now, Kotb is sharing more about Hope’s diagnosis. Hope has Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin.
Kotb described the routine care as ongoing. “Hope is fine for most of the day,” she said Wednesday. “There are just moments where you have to watch her.”
In an interview with People Magazine, Kotb also reflected on how the diagnosis changed her perspective and added to the complexity of parenting.
“She was getting shots — four or five a day — every day for a year. Now she is getting them less frequently because we have some other means to get her what she needs, but there’s a lot to it, Some kids can have sweets and she can’t. If she’s up in the night, we have to take care of her at night,” she told the outlet.
“Hope is a happy, healthy, rambunctious, amazing kid,” Kotb added. “Diabetes is a part of her, but not all of her. I hope it shapes her but never defines her.”
Though her final day on “Today” in January was emotional, Kotb said the decision was the right one for her family. “When you say goodbye to something you love, even though it’s right, it’s like your heart’s broken and on display,” Kotb told People.
Kotb said she hopes her children never feel like they were the reason for her career change. “I would never, ever want Hope to one day grow up and say, ‘Oh, my mom left her job because [of me],’” she told People. “It wasn’t that alone. But if you look at it cumulatively, it was a part of that decision.”
The People interview with Kotb also offered an update on her new life, which now includes school drop-offs, after-school activities and more time to explore hobbies.
“It’s really cool to just realize that there’s so much more to life,” she says. “I wasn’t able to bear witness to my kids’ daily lives because of what I was doing,” Kotb explained.
She’s also revealed she’s launching a new wellness brand, Joy 101, which includes an app, live events and a newsletter focused on joy, mindfulness and health.