Hota Kotb's Today absence has an explanation (albeit a vague one)
Hoda Kotb's co-host Craig Melvin said she has been absent due to a “family health matter that she has been dealing with.”
Today’s Hoda Kotb’s mysterious hiatus from her hosting slot finally has a (still-somewhat-mysterious) explanation. According to her co-host Craig Melvin, a “family health matter” has kept Kotb from her post—she has not appeared live on the air since February 17.
Melvin, Tom Llamas, Willie Geist, and Sheinelle Jones have been trading off hosting duties on Today in Kotb’s absence. Kotb has also been absent from her weekly podcast, Making Space, which has not aired a new episode since February 20.
On Wednesday morning’s episode of Today, Melvin briefly addressed Kotb’s disappearance from her desk— before this, neither Kotb nor NBC had offered an explanation for her absence. “We can tell you that Hoda is OK,” he said. “She has got a family health matter that she has been dealing with.”
A particularly spare Tuesday morning Today show drew questions about the absences of both Kotb and Savannah Guthrie, who reportedly had to leave her post at the top of the 7 o’clock hour after testing positive for COVID-19 during the broadcast.
Melvin also offered an update on Guthrie during Wednesday’s morning broadcast, who he said remains at home recovering following her positive test. Melvin also said he looked forward to seeing both Kotb and Guthrie “back here at the desk very, very soon.”
Although Kotb hasn’t spoken publicly about the family medical situation she’s navigating, she has been posting an assortment of vaguely resolute quotables via Instagram—most recently, she shared the words “Choose hope” on Monday.
Despite her instructions, fans in Kotb’s comments haven’t exactly been hopeful about her absence; some have even threatened to stop tuning into Today if it goes on without her. Although Melvin notably doesn’t make concrete promises about Kotb’s return date, his latest update negates her fan’s ultimate fear—at least, enough to let Kotb get away with a few more inspirational Instagrams before making a statement of her own.