Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie will not be making their way to China for the 2022 Winter Olympics due to COVID protocols, and the pair have now shared how "bummed" they are with the news.
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The Today Show anchors are usually among the many NBC stars who travel for the games, but this year the pandemic and ongoing fears of a resurgence have forced NBC to alter plans. Hoda and Savannah also both recently suffered from the virus, and fear that they may test positive again while in China.
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Speaking to People magazine, Hoda shared her disappointment that the team won't get to "bond" and "have a great time as a team."
"So that part I'm missing, because I love that part. That's the bummer part of it," she said.
The one good thing? Both revealed that their children are "real happy". Savannah is mom to seven-year-old daughter Vale, and son Charley, five.
"The main upside to not going is to get to be with your kids. When we do go, we miss them like crazy, but honestly, I feel like my kids, they really appreciate me for the first 10, 20 minutes I'm home," she joked.
The pair will not be in Beijing
Hoda, who is mom to two daughters, added of their returns in the past: "When you come home and walk in the door it's like a ticker-tape parade — one that ends quickly!"
The Today Show hosts will anchor coverage of the Opening Ceremony from New York. Both were sent to Tokyo in 2021 for the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics but this year, the team will mostly report from the studio's Stamford facility and 30 Rock in Manhattan.
They both headed to Tokyo for the summer Olympics
The program will also set up "Olympic Plaza" outside their Rockefeller Center studio where Team USA athletes will be interviewed on their return.
Today anchor Craig Melvin will represent the morning show in Beijing across the two weeks, while Mike Tirico will also be in the Chinese city for the Opening Ceremony and the first few days of the game.
The 2022 Winter Olympics opening ceremony takes place Friday at National Stadium in Beijing, China. Live coverage of the Winter Olympics begins Friday at 6.30am/7.30c on NBC.
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