Hoda Kotb is a devoted mother to young daughters Haley and Hope and has been incredibly honest about her emotional journey to parenthood.
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The Today star was supported throughout by her co-stars, and she recalled an incredibly powerful act of kindness involving Jenna Bush Hager during a recent chat with HELLO! Canada.
After being asked about the kindest thing Jenna had ever done for her, Hoda didn't hesitate as she reminisced about the moment the Read with Jenna founder told her that she was pregnant.
VIDEO: Hoda Kotb's family life with her daughters Haley and Hope
Turning to her friend and co-star, Hoda said: "I'll tell you what you did. [To Jenna] You might remember it. And you don't even think it's nice, but it was amazing. So I was trying to adopt a second child. And subsequently, Jenna found out she was pregnant. And she came into my room to tell me – I won't forget this.
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"She said to me, 'I have to tell you something, but I feel bad.' And I said 'Why?' And you go, 'I'm pregnant.' And I was like, 'Oh my god, you're pregnant.' Then you go, 'But you want a baby.'
"I was sobbing, that window of kindness. Someone who was thinking more that I might feel some pain, which I didn't, by the way, as opposed to her joy. So I thought in that moment, this is a selfless person, and I never forgot that. I can picture us sitting in my dressing room."
Hoda Kotb opened up about the moment Jenna Bush Hager told her she was pregnant
Hoda shares her two daughters with ex-fiance Joel Schiffman, who she amicably separated from at the beginning of 2021.
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Hoda often talks about her adoption journey and is more than grateful at becoming a mother in her fifties.
Talking to HELLO! last year, Hoda said: "In life, I live by this mantra - 'It gets greater, later,' - and all the best things in my life have happened since I turned 50. I am working with Savannah which is a job that you can only dream of having. I have two children that were even so far out of my dreams so I'm thankful for the fact that magic still happens later in life. It really does get greater later. It gets better and I'm grateful for that."
She also expanded on her journey to parenthood during an interview with People. "Family to me is everything— and having one of my own is something I never thought I'd have," she explained.
The Today star is a doting mom to daughters Haley and Hope
"I always imagined family as my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister. I envisioned it that way until I was 50. Imagine someone saying, 'Hey, guess what? You're actually going to have a whole other family.' It still surprises me!
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"It delights me to know that I have Haley and Hope. They fell asleep on me yesterday after having meltdowns, and I sang to them, and in that moment I was just thinking to myself, 'I get to feel these things. We get to have this together.'
She concluded: "It blows my mind that I get to have this adorable little family that's just right for me."
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