Jenna Bush Hager Tears up Over Hoda Kotb’s Return to ‘Today’

Jenna Bush Hager recently teared up over her Today show co-host Hoda Kotb’s return. The morning news show host had to take two weeks off due to a family emergency but returned this week and explained that her daughter had been ill and required medical care. ET spoke with Bush Hager about her co-host’s absence, and the former First Daughter grew emotional discussing her close friend’s dire situation.

“Hoda makes my life full,” Bush Hager exclaimed. “And it’s so interesting, but you don’t really know until somebody’s kind of gone, unexpectedly, how much you depend on them.” She continued, “I mean, I knew I adored her, but I wrote her when she came back and I said, ‘I don’t even know if you know how much you impact my life.’” Kotb’s 3-year-old daughter Hope had to be hospitalized in the ICU.

“I think she said it best,” Bush Hager — who is a mother of three — went on to say. “She said, ‘You know, it’s a Monday and then it’s an ordinary day, and things can change in a second.’ And I am just so grateful that I have a partner in television that appreciates every single moment, and encourages me to do the same. And I have these three precious children who mean everything to me. So, it’s nice that we both have our priorities in check.” She added, “I feel like sometimes in New York City, things can get crazy, and your world can become too fast, and it sort of slowed everything down and reminded us what’s important.”

Upon returning to Today, Kotb shared what she had been through, explaining, “Little Hope had to go to the hospital and she was in the ICU for a few days and then in the hospital for another week and it was really scary.” Kotb added, “She’s vibrant and brilliant. She’s home. She’s home. She’s home. I’m over the moon that she’s home.” Speaking to all the Today viewers who have offered support during her difficult time, Kotb said, “I felt you. I heard you. I needed you.”

Kotb continued, “It’s funny, I always talk about gratitude, gratitude, but I found myself not living in that lane because I was scared. And then I decided, you know what, let me think about this for a minute. I have a family who loves me. I have a little girl who’s home. I have a wonderful support system. I have doctors who would have done anything to make everything better, and they did. So sometimes you talk about gratitude and when you’re pushed to the limit, you’re like, do I feel it?”