'Today' Show Co-Host Returns to Set After Husband's Death
After more than a year away from the Today show, contributor Bobbie Thomas made her return to the popular NBC morning show on Thursday following her husband's death. Thomas joined fellow Today co-anchors Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager in Studio 1A for the third hour of Today, marking her first time stepping foot in the studio since the death of her husband, Michael Marion, who passed away in December 2020 at the age of 42.
Ahead of her big return, Thomas opened up about returning to the studio in a candid essay for Today.com, admitting that she was "terrified." Although the Today contributor said the "fog of the first year of grief has begun to lift," so has "the unexpected layer of protection that came with it. I'm hesitant to say this, but I'm terrified. I don't have a 'plan.'" Thomas candidly shared that she has "been worried about reentering the public eye when all I feel capable of right now is raw and sometimes uncomfortable honesty."
"I've walked into Studio 1A more than a thousand times, yet my knees already feel weak when I think about stepping back inside," she continued. "It makes no sense, as I have never known such support as the support I received from my TODAY family. Maybe that's it. Maybe it's because I know the moment Jenna squeezes my hand, or Hoda, with her huge heart, looks at me and says, 'It's OK,' I will be exposed all over again."
Thomas wrote that it "is knowing I'm not alone" that has pushed her forward. She shared that "while grief can be isolating, connecting with others has been my antidote... as devastating, life-changing and heartbreaking, but also as the common denominator that makes us human." She went on to credit her "professional platform" for providing her "with such an outpouring of love from others who have experienced loss. This support made such a difference for me." As she prepared to step back into the public eye, Thomas said her "wish is to boomerang all that support back – with my whole heart... So, as I continue to figure out my own plan, I turn to you. The door is open; the girlfriend is in. I'm here, and I'm ready to navigate all of life's 'big feelings' alongside all of you."
Thomas announced in December 2021 that her husband of seven years, whom she shares son Miles with, tragically passed away. Marion died after a bacterial infection led to organ failure. At the time, Thomas wrote, "Nothing is normal. Maybe nothing will ever be normal again. For me, it won't. My husband is gone." Following his passing, Thomas took a step back. News of her Today return was met with an outpouring of support, with the official Today show Instagram account writing, "You got this." Hager added, "We can't wait to see you."