Jenna Bush Hager Admits She Realized How Much She ‘Depends’ On Hoda Kotb After Co-Host’s ‘Today’ Absence

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Jenna Bush Hager started to tear up while speaking about her Today co-host Hoda Kotb and how glad she was that she had returned in a new interview with Entertainment Tonight on Thursday, March 9. The anchor, 41, spoke about how close she is with Hoda, 58, and how her time away from the show helped her realize that. “Hoda makes my life full, and it’s so interesting, but you don’t know until somebody’s gone unexpectedly how much you depend on them,” she said.

When Hoda returned to the show, Jenna revealed that she left her a note to remind her co-host just how much she appreciates her. “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,’” she explained. “I just am so grateful that I have a partner in television that appreciates every single moment and encourages me to do the same.

Hoda was absent from Today for two weeks, and when she returned, she explained that her daughter Hope, 3, was sick and had to be taken to the ICU, and spent over a week in the hospital. When she returned to the show, Hoda said she was so happy that her daughter was out. “I’m grateful she’s home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. We are watching her closely. I’m just so happy,” she said on the show.

In the interview, Jenna said that Hoda’s daughter’s health scare was a reminder about making time for family. “I have these three precious children who mean everything to me. It’s nice that we both have our priorities in check,” she told ET. “It slowed everything down and reminded us what’s important.”

During Hoda’s absence, her co-hosts had explained that she was out to address a “family health matter,” and while she was away, she shared messages about hope with her followers on Instagram. When she returned to the show with Jenna, she spoke about how happy she was to have so many loving people around her. “I have a family who loves me. I have a little girl who’s home. I have a wonderful support system,” she said. “I feel blessed and grateful. Really, really, really grateful.”

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