Hoda Kotb opened up about some of the harshest criticism she’s faced as a public figure and parent during a heartbreaking segment on “Today With Hoda & Jenna.”
“I will never forget her. I received a letter addressed to me in someone’s handwriting at my home,” he said Wednesday, explaining that he believed the letter might contain a picture that someone wanted to sign.
However, the reality was quite different.
“It was something like, ‘How dare you bring a child into this world at your age?’ Don’t you know what you’re doing with that guy?” said the morning show host.
“It went on and on,” the 58-year-old added, noting the criticism ran deep. “[It] It took my breath away because this was actually “the one”. I was scared, like, is this something smart to do?
Worse yet, Kotb considered all the time and effort someone put into writing and sending the hurtful letter.
“When I read it, I thought, ‘Somebody took a pen and sat down at a table … and wrote this, got a stamp and mailed it’ – like, he passed through all this trouble to tell me that … she said, adding that she felt worse about the criticism she received online, which can easily be written.
Kotb is the mother of two daughters: Haley Joy, 6, and Hope Catherine, 3, with the older daughter adopted in 2017 and the younger in 2019.
The “Today” host recently took a break from the show to address some health issues Hope has been dealing with.
Fortunately, Hope is better, Kotb said on his first day back at work in March.
“My youngest, Hope, was in intensive care [intensive care unit] for a few days and in the hospital for a little over a week,” Kotb said at the time. “I’m so thankful he’s home. He returned home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are following him closely. I’m so happy.”
