Hoda Kotb credits one of her best friends, Sandra Bullock, for encouraging her to adopt a child in her 50s.
The Today co-host, 57, recently made an appearance on the first-ever episode of PEOPLE’s newest podcast Me Becoming Mom, where she talks her journey to parenthood and how Bullock gave her insight before welcoming daughters Hope Catherine, 2, and Haley Joy, 4 via adoption.
“On the way there, this sounds so weird, but Sandra Bullock was really helping with some guidance about like, ‘Don’t be scared,’ ” Kotb said of traveling to meet her daughter Haley for the first time.
“She was one of the people who I looked to, to realize that someone like me of the same age could do these things,” the mom of two tells host Zoë Ruderman.
“She described the most beautiful part of her life began when her kids entered it,” adds Kotb, who shares her kids with fiancé Joel Schiffman. “She sent me some texts and I was reading them, and I was playing music by Ingrid Michaelson.“
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This summer, Kotb spoke on her plans for adopting a third child were delayed due to COVID-19.
“You know what’s funny about the adoption stuff that’s going on now? Apparently, it’s really slow during this time, during COVID,” she said on Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen.
“I thought it would be a different game. No, they said a lot of people who maybe normally would feel like it would be something they wanted to do, have a child and give it to someone to raise because they couldn’t, are holding onto things because they don’t have anything in that moment.”
She added: “That’s what I’ve heard from our agency, everything’s slow. But they say wait wisely and just be, so we’re just gonna be.”
So while Kotb may have to wait a bit longer – in the interim, she is stepping in where she can.
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TODAY’s Dylan Dreyer admitted how her son Oliver was busy throwing tantrums throughout Labor Day weekend. And the only person that could calm him down was, yup, you guessed it….Hoda!
Dylan also posted the sweet snap to social media, explaining that her little Ollie had a tantrum and didn’t want to be held by anyone but Hoda.
She wrote: “When your toddler is mid-tantrum and hates the thought of even being near you, just give him to @hodakotb #hodaforthewin #immediatelyasleep #hugsfordays.”
Hoda wrote on her own page alongside the same picture: “One of my favorite moments if the weekend… hugging @dylandreyernbc ‘s Ollie…”
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