My hero, Hoda

I haven’t met my hero, but I watch her a lot on the fourth hour of Today. She’s charming, Egyptian, smart and single.

 

I first met Hoda Kotb at Myrtle Beach. Her memoir was on the New York Times Bestseller list that summer, and I decided to put her on my Kindle. I don’t know why “Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer and Kathie Lee” was the fourth book I downloaded to my kindle. Probably the title; it’s always the title.

 

At the time, I barely knew who she was. I didn’t know Kotb was pronounced “Cot-Bee.” I’d never seen the Fourth Hour and had never watched her on Dateline, but I think that’s why she’s among my personal heroes.

 

Most people meet Hoda on the fourth hour of the Today Show, which isn’t about hard-hitting news stories, and even for morning news, it’s lighthearted. It’s an hour of makeovers, celebrity gossip and booze—yes, alcohol. Hoda and Kathie Lee drink at least one glass on wine on television, and sometimes more, like when Hoda downed shots for her birthday.

 

I got to know her more personally. In chapter 4, I walked with her as she battled breast cancer. Chapter 5, we were covering the Iraq war, explosions in the background. Then, the career path changed direction. Instead of difficult war stories, NBC had a different plan. They wanted a talk show geared toward middle-aged homemakers with Kathie Lee Gifford, from Live! With Regis and Kathie Lee.

I may not be a middle-aged homemaker, but I'm definitely one of Hoda's biggest fans.