By: Noble HorvathPosted on

Many women know how devastating having their parenting skills critiqued can be.



Hoda Kotb posing for the camera

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During a segment on “Today,” Hoda Kotb opened up about feeling “horrible” after she was mom-shamed for having children in her ’50s.

“I got a physical letter in the mail, a letter that came to my address, from a woman who wrote: ‘Who do you think you are having kids at that age?'” Hoda said. “I literally read it and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe someone put a stamp on it and sent it.'”

She added: “I felt horrible in that moment because there is something that bothers you inside about that. But then I thought, who would take a piece of paper and a pen and write like that and fold it and put it in the envelope with a stamp and go to the trouble of mailing it? It took effort.”

In 2017, Hoda adopted her daughter Hayley Joy. She was 52 at the time. Two years later, she adopted her daughter Hope Catherine. Now 56, Hoda co-parents with fianc? Joel Schiffman

During the segment, co-host Jenna Bush Hager shared her own experiences with being mom-shamed and also came to Hoda’s defense.

“That stranger who took the time to write something so mean, she doesn’t even know what you’re like as a mother,” Jenna said. “She’s never seen you hold those little girls. That infuriates me. And I think why it’s so hard is that as parents we’re already questioning ourselves constantly.”

“Yes, that’s why it hurt,” Hoda responded.

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