Hoda Kotb’s heart is with the people of New Orleans, even as she is busy hosting the New Year’s Day Rose Parade.
The Today show anchor and herparade co-host Al Roker started the live broadcast of the annual event by acknowledging the horrific massacre on Bourbon Street in New Orlean’s popular French Quarter, which killed 10 people and sent around 35 more victims to local hospitals.
“Before we begin the festivities, we’d love to extend our deepest sympathies to all of those who are impacted by these tragic events occurring in New Orleans earlier this morning,” Roker, 70, noted as NBC broadcast from Pasadena, Calif.
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, the Today anchor 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.
The loss of life in New Orleans occurred around 3:15 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day when a man driving a pickup truck plowed down Bourbon Street intentionally attacking pedestrians. The FBI confirmed that the driver was killed by police following an exchange, noting that it is investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism.”
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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Prior to her time on the Today show, 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 told Southern Living of New Orleans in June 2024. “There’s a magnetism about New Orleans that grabs you right out the gate.”
Kotb is days away from stepping down from her role on Today to spend more time with family. Her last day as co-anchor of Today and co-host of Today with Hoda and Jenna is scheduled for Jan. 10.
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