Congratulations are in order for TODAY Show host Hoda Kotb who just revealed that she is now the proud mom of two sweet daughters! Kotb shared the exciting news to TODAY Show viewers this morning when she called in to announce she had just adopted her second child, a daughter named Hope Catherine Kotb. The beloved morning show host not only surprised fans and viewers of the show but apparently many of her co-workers as well.
Morning show anchor Savannah Guthrie announced to the round table that they had an exclusive announcement to make before introducing Kotb on the phone, much to the surprise and delight of fellow hosts Willie Geist, Dylan Dryer, Jenna Bush Hager, Sheinelle Jones, and Al Roker.
Kotb then made her exciting announcement causing many of her co-workers' jaws to drop and eyes to tear up.
"I'm feeding her, and I can't believe it,'' a tearful Kotb said to her co-workers as she shared her exciting news."I'm so happy she's here!" While Kotb managed to keep her happy news a secret, it seems that she teased her new daughter's arrival on social media just one day before her big announcement, posting a picture on Instagram that simply read, "Choose Hope."
Kotb adopted her first child, daughter Haley Joy, in 2017 when she was 54-years-old and explained that she and boyfriend, Joel Schiffman, were ready to give Haley a sister. "I think having a sister to go through life with is so important,'' Kotb said."Joel and I are older parents. I wanted to make sure there was somebody to witness her life."
She and Schiffman were more than ready to add another member to their family. "You know what's funny? You think that you're full,'' she told viewers. "That's exactly how I felt with Haley and Joel and everything. Joel and I were standing there when they hand you the baby, and it's the closest thing to a live birth you'll ever see, but in that moment, I was like, 'Oh, my God, my heart just grew.' It's amazing. I can't believe it's happening."
She also spoke about how she had hoped she would be able to adopt a second child. "In my heart, I was like, 'Please, God, I hope this is something you anticipate for me,'' she said. "To get the call is so mind-blowing, you can't believe someone's saying come and get her, she's here. It's amazing."
Kotb paid tribute to her best friend, Karen Swensen's daughter, Catherine, by giving Hope the same name as a middle name.