Hoda Kotb
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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2011) |
| Hoda Kotb | |
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| Born | August 9, 1964 Norman, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Education | Virginia Tech |
| Occupation | Television personality |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Notable credit(s) | Dateline NBC (1998–present) Your Total Health (2004–2007) Today Show (2007–present) |
| Website | |
| http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3949160 | |
Hoda Kotb (pron.: /ˈhoʊdə ˈkɒtbiː/;[citation needed] Arabic: هدى قطب Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [ˈhodæ ˈʔotˤb]; born August 9, 1964) is an American television news anchor and TV host known as the co-host of the fourth hour of Today with Kathie Lee Gifford. She won a Daytime Emmy in 2010 as part of The Today Show team.
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Life [edit]
Kotb was born in Norman, Oklahoma, but grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia.[1] Her parents are from Egypt. Kotb and her family lived in Egypt for a year, as well as Nigeria.[2] In Arabic, the name "Hoda" means "guidance", and is very popular among Arab women. The surname "Kotb" 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.[3]
In 1986, she graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast journalism.[1] She is a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.[4]
She was the keynote speaker at her alma mater for the 2008 Virginia Tech graduation[5], where she played Metallica's "Enter Sandman" over her iPod.[6]
In 2010, she was elected to a three-year term to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors.[7]
Hoda wrote a New York Times Bestselling Book, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee, 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 game-changing event in her subjects’ lives and then revisiting those lives a decade later.
Career [edit]
Kotb appears on the fourth hour of the Today Show. She co-hosts along with Kathie Lee Gifford. She has also been a correspondent for NBC's Dateline since 1998.
Appearances [edit]
- 1986: CBS News - news assistant Cairo, Egypt
- 1986–1989: Morning anchor and general assignment reporter WQAD-TV, ABC Moline, Illinois and anchor WXVT-TV, CBS Greenville and Greenwood, Mississippi
- 1989–1991: Weekend anchor and reporter WINK-TV Fort Myers, Florida
- 1992–1998: Anchor and reporter WWL-TV, CBS New Orleans, Louisiana
- 1998–present: Dateline NBC correspondent.
- 2004–2007: Host of the weekly syndicated series Your Total Health
- 2007–present: Co-host of the fourth hour of Today with Kathie Lee Gifford.
Personal life [edit]
In 2005, Kotb married former U.N.O. tennis coach Burzis Kanga.[8] 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.[9] 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.
References [edit]
- ^ a b Kimberly Brown (2008). "'Today' show anchor to inspire young journalists at WVU May Commencement". West Virginia University. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ She has a brother Adel and a sister Hala. Her mother Sameha ("Sami") works at the Library of Congress. MSNBC profile
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Tri Delta - Mythbusters". Tri Delta. Retrieved 2012-04-29.
- ^ "Virginia Tech 2008 Commencement Address by Hoda Kotb". Retrieved 2013-05-20.
- ^ Greg Esposito (2008). "At Tech graduation, laughs to leave by". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "Hope From Hoda". Livingneworleans.com. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2012-11-13.
- ^ Hoda Kotb (2008). "Your life after cancer is better than the one before". MSNBC. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hoda Kotb |
- Official MSNBC bio
- "Calling Helen Thomas" by David Chambers in Saudi Aramco World
- Hoda Kotb on Twitter
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- 1964 births
- American people of Egyptian descent
- American television news anchors
- American television reporters and correspondents
- Breast cancer survivors
- Journalists from Virginia
- Journalists from West Virginia
- Living people
- NBC News
- New Orleans, Louisiana television anchors
- New Orleans television reporters
- Peabody Award winners
- People from Fairfax County, Virginia
- People from Morgantown, West Virginia
- Virginia Tech alumni
