Hoda Kotb is sharing her experiences with mom-shaming.
The “Today” show host, 56, joined her “Hoda And Jenna” co-host, Jenna Bush-Hager, to discuss mom-shaming and recalled the “horrible moment” when hate mail was delivered to her house.
“I got a physical letter in the mail … from a woman who wrote, ‘Who do you think you are, having kids at that age?’ ” Kotb explained. “I literally read it and thought, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe someone put a stamp on it and sent it.'”
RELATED: Hoda Kotb Receives The Best Birthday Surprise From Dolly Parton
Kotb and her fiance Joel Schiffman share daughters Haley Joy, 3, and Hope Catherine, 1.
After she “literally tore it up,” Kotb admitted that she “felt horrible in that moment, because there is something that bothers you inside about that.”
Adding, “But then I thought, ‘Who would take a piece of paper and a pen and write that and fold it and put it in the envelope with a stamp and go to the trouble of mailing it?’ It took effort.”
RELATED: Hoda Kotb Shares New Wedding Update After Having To Postpone Amid Coronavirus
.@hodakotb and @JennaBushHager share their experiences being mom-shamed. pic.twitter.com/WxIUimhbcj
— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) September 18, 2020
Bush-Hager soon came to Kotb’s defence, “Anybody that would see the way you are with [Haley and Hope] … that stranger that took the time to write something so mean when she doesn’t even know what you’re like as a mother… 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 hurts,” Kotb replied. “Every parent is second-guessing. [And] we don’t know. Have you ever been on a plane with your kid crying? You know what that feels like. And anyone who gives you that disdained look either doesn’t have children, doesn’t understand or forgot how hard it is to deal with.”
