Hoda Kotb’s Exit from Today Show Driven by Daughter’s Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis

Hoda Kotb, the beloved former anchor of NBC’s Today Show, recently shared the heartfelt reason behind her departure from the morning staple. Returning as a guest on Wednesday, Kotb opened up about her daughter Hope’s diagnosis with type 1 diabetes, a condition that demands constant vigilance. At just six years old, Hope’s health challenges reshaped Kotb’s priorities, nudging her toward a life with more family time.

“It’s a priority check,” Kotb told her former co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin. “I could be at work, worrying about Hope’s morning or night, or I could be home, feeling relief.” The 60-year-old mother of two, also raising eight-year-old Haley, described the relentless monitoring required for a young child with type 1 diabetes—checking blood sugar, managing insulin, and staying alert for sudden changes. “Five minutes at breakfast, lunch, dinner, sometimes overnight,” she said, adding up to a half-hour of daily care. Yet, she emphasized, “for 23½ hours, Hope’s just like any other kid.”

Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition where the pancreas stops producing insulin, requires lifelong management with insulin injections and blood sugar checks, per the Cleveland Clinic. Unlike type 2, which is often linked to lifestyle factors like obesity, type 1 typically strikes children and young adults. Kotb shared that Hope’s early symptoms mimicked the flu, leading to a frightening hospital dash. Now, with experience, Kotb strives to let Hope enjoy a normal childhood, advising parents: “Don’t put your worry on your kid. Let them be kids.”

Kotb’s story resonates with any parent navigating a child’s chronic illness, balancing love with the demands of daily care. Her decision to step back from the Today Show reflects a universal truth: sometimes, the biggest stories are the ones we live at home.