Hoda Kotb Says Her 'Heart Broke' Hearing About New Orleans Massacre: 'My Second Home'

Mar. 15, 2025

Hoda Kotb and Al Roker co-hosting the Rose Parade on Jan. 1, 2025.

Hoda Kotb’s heart is with thepeople of New Orleans, even as she is busy hosting the New Year’s Day Rose Parade.

Kotb, who lived and worked in New Orleans for the majority of the ‘90s and who has often expressed her NOLA pride, added, “A lot of people woke up and saw the tragic news. And we just want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in New Orleans. New Orleans is my second home and my heart broke this morning.”

However, theTodayanchor added that she planned to focus the Rose Parade broadcast on sharing positivity.

“We are going to try to bring some light today, so we’re happy to be with you this morning,” she shared.

Police investigators surround a white truck that has been crashed into a work lift in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana, on January 1, 2025.MATTHEW HINTON/AFP via Getty

MATTHEW HINTON/AFP via Getty

New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Chief Anne Kirkpatrick previously told reporters of the incident, “It was very intentional behavior. This man was trying to run over as many people as he possibly could. It was not a DUI situation. This is more complex and serious based on the information we have.”

Kirkpatrick called out the driver’s “intentional mindset,” saying, “This perpetrator, who went around our barricades in order to conduct this, he was hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage he did.”

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Hoda Kotb (R) attends Tulane University’s commencement ceremony at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on May 14, 2016 in New Orleans, Louisiana.Josh Brasted/Getty

Josh Brasted/Getty

Prior to her time on theTodayshow, Kotb worked as an anchor and reporter for local New Orleans CBS affiliate WWL. She frequently shows her support for the New Orleans Saints and in 2016 gave the commencement speech at the local Tulane University.

“It’s the closest to a hometown I’ve ever felt,” Kotb toldSouthern Livingof New Orleans in June 2024. “There’s a magnetism about New Orleans that grabs you right out the gate.”

Kotb isdays awayfrom stepping down from her role onTodayto spend more time with family. Her last day as co-anchor ofTodayand co-host ofToday with Hoda and Jennais scheduled for Jan. 10.

source: people.com