‘Father-sized hole lives in us’: ‘Today’s Hoda Kotb opens up about losing dad with co-star Laura Jarrett

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Today’ beloved host Hoda Kotb recently opened up about the passing of her father and how it has left an enduring mark on her heart.

During a recent ‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ segment, Kotb talked about her grief with rare host, Laura Jarrett as she was replaced by Jenna Bush Hager.

Alongside Kotb, Jarrett also shared about her dad and shared some insight into her family.

Hoda Kotb opens up about ‘father-sized hole’

Hoda Kotb told Laura Jarrett, “My dad passed when I was in college. But there is kind of this father-sized hole that just lives in girls, women like us."

She continued, “There's something about having that gap, and how do you fill it and where do you find that kind of fatherly energy or love?"

It was revealed that Jarrett also lost her father when she was a young child.

In response, Jarrett shared, “Family was everything to us. My mom raised me ... my grandparents lived five minutes away. My grandfather took me to school every day of my life ... even after I could drive. Even after I got my license.”

Hoda Kotb recalls the day of her father’ passing

Hoda Kotb is the mother of daughters Haley, 6, and Hope, 4, shared with her former partner Joel Schiffman.

The heartbreaking moment that marked her life occurred during her university days at Virginia Tech. Her brother Abel delivered devastating news at a sorority formal.

Recalling the moment in 2021, Hoda shared, " And my brother runs in, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, my brother always said he was gonna crash Tri Delt formals, like he and his buddy did it. And he said, ‘Come outside.’ And I said, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘Come outside, I need to talk to you, and I go, ‘No.’ I said, ‘You need to tell me,’ and he said, ‘Dad had a heart attack, and he died.'"

Reflecting on the profound impact of that moment, she added, "It was like you couldn’t even compute what was going on."

Laura Jarrett is the mother of two children, son James, aged 4, and daughter June, aged 1, with her partner, attorney Tony Balkissoon.

Notably, Laura's mother is Valerie Jarrett, who served as the former senior advisor to President Barack Obama.

Jarrett also reflected on her morning ritual with grandfather, aka Papa.

She said, “We had the best deal where every day, one of us would choose the radio stations — I would choose the hip-hop and he got to know '90s hip-hop ... he would make me listen to NPR on his days and classical music.”

Jarrett added, "That was our little thing. We would talk about our days, we would talk about frustrations at school ... that was our special time together."

Jarrett credited being raised by a single mom with helping her recognize her potential and shape her perspective on life.

She told Kotb, “It's funny because now, I think about it like a mom, and so all the guilt I have about missing bedtime or missing the soccer practice.”

Jarrett continued, “I never picked up on that; even if she was rushing around to make things, I didn't know it. She wasn't showing that. And so, sometimes I think back on how hard that must have been for her, trying to keep that stiff upper lip. And trying to make sure that she was everywhere and in 1,000 places at once."

Kotb agreed saying, “My mom was a working mom too — they didn't make excuses like, 'Mommy has to go to work.' They're like, "Mommy is going to work.' And that was it."

According to Jarrett, Valerie, her mother, aimed to 'demystify' the working world for her daughter.

Jarrett said, “On the weekends, she would take me down to City Hall and I would play, 'Chamber of Commerce.”

“And we would hang out. I didn't know that she was actually having to do work but I was having fun playing office. But she wanted me to see all those sides of her. But when we were together, she was 100% all in, all present."