Hoda Kotb

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"Hoda" redirects here. For other uses, see Hoda (disambiguation).

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Hoda Kotb
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Kotb in 2010
Native name Hudā Quṭb
Born (1964-08-09) August 9, 1964 (age 60)
Norman, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma mater Virginia Tech
Occupation TV personality
Years active 1986–present
Employer NBC News
Known for Today Show Entertainment correspondent (2008–present); Dateline NBC correspondent (1998–present)
Spouse(s) Burzis Kanga (m. 2005; div. 2007)
Partner(s) Joel Schiffman
Parent(s) A.K. Kotb (father)
Sameha Kotb (mother)

Hoda Kotb (/ˈhoʊdə ˈkɒtbiː/ HOH-de KOT-bee;[1] Arabic: هدى قطب‎‎ Hudā Quṭb Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈhodæ ˈʔotˤb]), born August 9, 1964,[2] is an American television news anchor and TV host known as the co-host of NBC's Today Show's fourth hour with Kathie Lee Gifford. An Egyptian American, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2010 as part of The Today Show team. Kotb is also a correspondent for Dateline NBC.

Life

Kotb was born in Norman, Oklahoma,[2] but grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia[3] and Alexandria, Virginia,[4] where she graduated from Fort Hunt High School in 1982. She was elected Homecoming Queen[5] and selected to speak at her graduating class' Baccalaureate service.[6]

Kotb's parents are from Egypt. Kotb and her family lived in Egypt for a year, as well as in Nigeria.[7] In Arabic, the name "Hoda" means "guidance" and is a common name among Arab women. The surname "Kotb" (Qutb) means "pole," as in North or South Pole, and is a common surname among Egyptians. For a period during her career, she spelled her surname Kotbe to aid in pronunciation; she has since reverted to using the original form, Kotb. Kotb's father is deceased, and as of 2014, her mother works at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.[8]

In 1986, Kotb graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism.[3] Kotb was the keynote speaker at her alma mater for the 2008 Virginia Tech graduation,[9] where she played Metallica's "Enter Sandman" over her iPod.[10] In 2010, Kotb was elected to a three-year term to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors.[11]

Kotb wrote a New York Times Bestselling Book, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee,[12] which was released in hardcover in October 2010. On January 15, 2013, she released her second book Ten Years Later: Six People Who Faced Adversity and Transformed Their Lives, in which she chronicles six stories by identifying a life-changing event in each subject's life and then revisiting each of those six people a decade later. She has also appeared in Martina McBride's music video for I'm Gonna Love You Through It.

Career

File:Hoda Kotb with crew members at the 66th Annual Peabody Awards.jpg
Hoda Kotb, Monica Groves and Shayla Harris accepting the award for "Dateline NBC: The Education of Ms. Groves" at the 66th Annual Peabody Awards Luncheon

Kotb appears on the fourth hour of the Today Show, co-hosting with Kathie Lee Gifford. She has also been a correspondent for Dateline NBC since 1998. Kotb occasionally fills in as the co-anchor of Today for Savannah Guthrie.

Appearances

Personal life

In her college years at Virginia Tech, Kotb was a member of Delta Delta Delta Women's Sorority, Beta Nu Chapter.[13]

In 2005, Kotb married former University of New Orleans tennis coach Burzis Kanga.[14] The marriage ended in divorce two years later.

In March 2007, Kotb underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer, and has since become an advocate for breast cancer awareness.[15] Kotb allowed Today Show cameras to follow her throughout her cancer battle. After she was announced cancer-free, her story was documented on the show.

In January 2015, Kotb said she has been in a relationship with New York financier Joel Schiffman for two years.[16]

References

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External links

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ She has a brother, Adel and a sister, Hala. Her mother, Sameha ("Sami"), works at the Library of Congress. MSNBC profile
  8. ↑ Clarification on names added to page at request of subject's mother, February 20, 2009, to correct a tabloid's erroneous statement that Kotb's birth name was Choda Kotb.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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