Who is Hoda Kotb?
Hoda Kotb is a famous American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author. Kotb is the main co-anchor of the NBC News morning show Today and co-host of its entertainment-focused fourth hour. She previously worked as a correspondent for the television news magazine show Dateline NBC.
Hoda Kotb career
Kotb’s initial on-air job after college was at then-CBS affiliate WXVT in Greenville, Mississippi. She then moved to ABC affiliate WQAD in Moline, Illinois as a reporter from 1988 to 1989. From 1989 to 1991, she became a weekend anchor and reporter at CBS affiliate WINK in Fort Myers, Florida. Later she was an anchor and reporter for CBS affiliate WWL in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1992 to 1998. Martina McBride asked Kotb to be featured in her music video for ”I’m Gonna Love You Through It,” a ballad dedicated to cancer survivors in 2011.
NBC News
In April 1998, Kotb officially joined NBC News as a correspondent for Dateline NBC and all NBC News platforms. She was later the first host of Today’s first fourth-hour weekday morning broadcast at 10:00 a.m. in September 2007. Kotb was then joined by Kathie Lee Gifford as a co-host in April 2008. In April 2009, Gifford was succeeded by Jenna Bush Hager after she left the show.
Kotb started hosting a live, one-hour program twice a week on Sirius XM’s Today channel, on February 23, 2015, discussing casual, water cooler topics. She was named co-anchor of Today with Savannah Guthrie on January 2, 2018, following anchor Matt Lauer’s termination by NBC News after accusations of sexual misconduct. Kotb and Guthrie had been interim co-anchors since Lauer’s termination on November 29, 2017. They made up the program’s first female anchor duo to lead the program.
How old is Hoda Kotb?
Hoda Kotb aged 57 as of 2021, was born on August 9, 1964, in Morman, Oklahoma, United States. She shares her birthday with celebrities including King Von, Whitney Houston, Anna Kendrick, Anwar Jibawi, Gillian Anderson, Bob Cousy, Brett Hull, Chris Cuomo, David Steinberg, Deion Sanders, Doug Williams, among others.
Hoda Kotb Family
Who are Hoda Kotb’s parents?
Hoda Kotb was born in Norman, Oklahoma to her Egyptian parents, Abdel Kader Kotb and Sameha Kotb. Her father was a fossil energy specialist, who was listed in the Who’s Who of Technology. He died in 1986, aged 51 years. Her mother worked at the Library of Congress. Kotb is of Muslim roots, and her parents migrated to the United States from Egypt.
She lived with her parents in Egypt for one year as well as in Nigeria. Kotb was later brought up in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Alexandria, Virginia, and throughout the 1990s, lived in New Orleans.
Does Hoda Kotb have siblings?
Kotb was born to her parents in a family of three children, one son, and two daughters. She has two siblings, one brother, Adel Kotb, and one sister Hala Kotb.
Hoda Kotb Education
Kotb studied at Fort Hunt High School, graduating in 1982. Later she joined Virginia Tech, where she was a member of Delta Delta Delta women’s sorority, Beta Nu Chapter. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism in 1986.
Hoda Kotb Interest
Kotb is an author of inspiring, guiding, and children’s books, having six books under her name. She is also an advocate for cancer awareness following her experiences in battling cancer. Kotb is a Muslim by faith.
Hoda Kotb Partner
From 2005 to 2008, Kotb was married to her former University of New Orleans tennis coach, Burzis Kanga.
Kotb then started a relationship in 2013 with New York financier Joel Schiffman. She announced live on Today, on November 25, 2019, that she was engaged to Schiffman. However, she later announced during the fourth hour of Today (Hoda & Jenna) on January 31, 2022, that they had ended their engagement after 8 years, and would focus on co-parenting as friends.
Hoda Kotb Kids
Kotb announced on Today, on February 21, 2017, that she had adopted a baby girl named Haley Joy Kotb. Later she came on Today, on April 26, 2019, by phone to reveal that she had adopted a second baby girl named Hope Cathering Kotb.
Hoda Kotb Height
Professional American broadcast journalist, television personality, and author, Kotb has a beautiful and sexy body with an impressive height of 5 ft 8 in (1. 75 m) and weighs around 72 kg (159 lbs).
Books
Kotb launched a New York Times bestselling autobiography, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee in October 2010. She then launched her second book, Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives on January 15, 2013. In the book, she chronicles six stories by identifying a life-changing event in each subject’s life and then revisiting each of those six people a decade later.
Kotb released her third book, Where They Belong: The Best Decisions People Almost Never Made, in 2016. The book features a selection of various stories of inspiring people who ”found themselves” in totally unexpected moments or unforeseen circumstances. She launched her sixth book, I Really Needed This Today in October 2019. It includes personal notes about her experiences and relationships, an assortment of quotes, and 365 sayings that she hopes inspire and uplifts readers. In October 2020, she launched a follow-up titled This Just Speaks to Me. The book expands on her daily reflections and includes additional personal anecdotes and quotes.
Kotb has additionally launched her own children’s books. The first one, her fourth book overall, I’ve Loved You Since Forever, was launched in 2018, and was adapted into a lullaby by Kelly Clarkson. Kotb’s second children’s book, her fifth book overall, You Are My Happy, celebrates the things in life that bring gratitude, and it was launched in March 2019.
Awards
Kotb was awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award for her reporting in 2002. She received her first Gracie Awards in 2003 and 2008. In 2004, she was awarded a Headliner Award for Dateline NBC’s ”Saving Dane-Adoptees Rage”. She then was awarded a Peabody Award for Dateline NBC’s ”The Education of Ms. Groves”, in 2006. This earned her another Headliner Award in 2007, as well as 2008, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.
Today won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Morning Program, in 2010, 2011, and 2012, when Kotb was part of the Today Morning host lineup. She then won a Webby Award for Online Film & Video- Public Service & Activism for her music video, Truly Brave”, in 2015. The video was created in collaboration with Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles to raise awareness for pediatric cancer. She also received another Gracie Award for Outstanding Host in News/Non-fiction the same year.
Kotb was awarded a Gracie Award for Outstanding Host in Entertainment/Information for her SiriusXM show in 2016. She was then included in Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2018. Kotb and Gifford were awarded a Daytime Emmy Award in 2019, for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host during their time as co-hosts. In October 2021, Kotb was awarded the Matrix Award.
Health
Kotb underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer in March 2007. Since then she became an advocate for breast cancer awareness. She allowed Today cameras to follow her throughout her cancer battle. Following her being declared cancer-free, she has gone on to document and use the story on the show to raise awareness for breast cancer. She recently announced she tested positive for COVID-19, on January 6, 2022. Although Kotb has received both of her vaccine doses and her booster shot, the told Today (American TV show) that she is ”experiencing mild symptoms and is feeling good while isolating at home.”
Hoda Kotb’s Net Worth
American professional broadcast journalist, television personality, and author, Kotb, is an employee of NBC News. She has been active in her career on television from 1986 to the present and has served at several shows. Kotb earns an annual salary of $8 million-$10 million and has gathered up an accumulative net worth of approximately $35 million as of January 2022.