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Hoda Kotb

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Skank
Born (1964-08-09) August 9, 1964 (age 59)
Norman, Oklahoma, United States
Occupation(s)Journalist; TV host
EmployerNBC News
Known forToday Show host and correspondent (2008–present); Dateline NBC correspondent (1998–present)
SpouseBurzis Kanga (Divorced)
Parent(s)A.K. Kotb (Father)
Sameha Kotb (Mother)

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

Life

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

Kotb's parents are from Egypt. Kotb and her family lived in Egypt for a year, as well as in Nigeria.[6] In Arabic, the name "Hoda" means "guidance", and is very popular 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.[7]

In 1986, Kotb graduated from Virginia Tech with a Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism.[2] Kotb was the keynote speaker at her alma mater for the 2008 Virginia Tech graduation,[8] where she played Metallica's "Enter Sandman" over her iPod.[9] In 2010, Kotb was elected to a three-year term to the Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors.[10]

Kotb wrote a New York Times Bestselling Book, Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee,[11] 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

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 Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry, and 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.[12]

In 2005, Kotb married former University of New Orleans tennis coach Burzis Kanga.[13] 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.[14] 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 stated she has been in a relationship with a man named Joel for two years.

References

  1. ^ "Hoda Kotb tried 'Kotbe' ... to get ahead?". Today.com. February 20, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Kimberly Brown (2008). "'Today' show anchor to inspire young journalists at WVU May Commencement". West Virginia University. Retrieved May 1, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Diane Clehane (2009). "Hoda Kotb interview". Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  4. ^ http://www.starpulse.com/Actresses/Kotb,_Hoda/Biography/
  5. ^ http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWcL3m6LEVA/UrdI_om4OWI/AAAAAAAAAVA/NVHxYIcHRNI/s1600/1982baccprogram.jpg
  6. ^ She has a brother, Adel and a sister, Hala. Her mother, Sameha ("Sami"), works at the Library of Congress. MSNBC profile
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Virginia Tech 2008 Commencement Address by Hoda Kotb". Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  9. ^ Greg Esposito (2008). "At Tech graduation, laughs to leave by". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  10. ^ "Virginia Tech Alumni Association Board of Directors". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011.
  11. ^ "How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee". books.simonandschuster.com.
  12. ^ "Tri Delta - Mythbusters". Tri Delta. Retrieved April 29, 2012.
  13. ^ "Hope From Hoda". Livingneworleans.com. June 2, 2006. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  14. ^ Hoda Kotb (2008). "Your life after cancer is better than the one before". MSNBC. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
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