Hoda Kotb is ABSENT from Today as Jenna Bush Hager reveals 59-year-old is ‘a little bit under the weather’ -months after vanishing from the show when daughter Hope was rushed to the NICU with a ‘health issue’

Hoda Kotb was absent from Wednesday’s episode of the Today show – with her co-host Jenna Bush Hager revealing to viewers that she is ill.

Instead of hosting her usual NBC morning shows, the 59-year-old host was nowhere to be seen and was instead replaced on Today with Hoda and Jenna by correspondent Sheinelle Jones, 45, who happily stepped in to help.

Jenna and Sheinelle kicked off the program by addressing Hoda’s no-show and promising she would return — although they did not confirm a return date.

“So glad you’re here,” Jenna, 41, said as she introduced her temporary co-host. “Hoda’s feeling a little sick, but she’ll be back.”

“Yesterday I felt like it was creeping,” Sheinelle said, referring to Hoda’s illness.

“Feel better, Hoda,” she added.

But Jenna made sure to tell viewers that Hoda wouldn’t be tuning in to keep an eye on the program, joking, “She’s not watching.” I can promise you that.’

Fans at home eagerly shared their well wishes on X, formerly known as Twitter, with one writing: “I hope @hodakotb is chilling and feeling better today.”

Another said: ‘I miss @hodakotb when she’s not around.’

Hoda has been a mainstay of NBC’s Today show since she joined the network in 1998 as a correspondent for Dateline NBC, a job that she says paid so poorly that she didn’t have enough money to pay her bills.

She previously co-hosted The Fourth Hour with Kathie Lee Gifford between 2008 and 2019, before being joined by her current co-star, Jenna.

Hoda had been good enough to host Monday and Tuesday this week on the Today show and Today with Hoda and Jenna.

Hoda’s latest absence comes seven months after she caused serious concerns among viewers when she mysteriously disappeared from screens – only to later reveal that her four-year-old daughter Hope had been admitted to hospital with a serious ‘health problem’.

Hope spent just over a week in late February battling an undisclosed health issue in a New York City hospital, including several days in the intensive care unit.

In the wake of the health scare, the popular morning show host shared several updates on her daughter’s condition, the details of which she has not shared publicly. Last month she revealed that Hope was ‘on the mend’.

Since then, it seems Hope has only gone from strength to strength, with the presenter even taking a short break from filming earlier this month to drop off both her daughters for their first day of school.

The television host was updating viewers on what was going on in the episode when she suddenly revealed that she had to take her daughters, Hope and Haley, six, on their school run.

Hoda hasn’t shared any details about her own illness, but she has been present for filming all week so far.

On Monday, she and Jenna were quickly shut down by actress Keke Palmer after she explored her on-again, off-again relationship with Darius Jackson.

Keke, 30, and her boyfriend Darius – who welcomed their son Leodis in February – were reportedly on the rocks after he went viral for publicly shaming her after she wore a see-through dress to an Usher concert in Las Vegas in July.

The presenters were keen to get the latest on their romance when Keke joined them in the studio to talk about motherhood and turning 30.

Referring to her birthday in August, Jenna blurted out, “Can I tell you, I was watching… it might have been on your thirtieth birthday… you and Darius went out for drinks!”

Keke quickly replied, “Oh, at the Beyoncé concert!” as mum-of-three Jenna admitted: ‘I watched it live!’

The actress continued, “Beyoncé’s concert… first of all, this was my second time going. I went first with my house girls and he said, ‘I hear everyone is going for her birthday’… I thought, ‘Does that mean we’re going again?’

“And the funny thing is we tried to do a duck walk with him and started doing the Vogue dance.” We care!’ she added, referencing their date night on Bey’s show.

Jenna then asked, “Are you all for him?” while Keke laughed as she accused them of wanting to “get all into it.”

“Hey, listen, you were a talk show host. You know!’ Jenna fired back as Hoda added, “And you brought it up!”

‘We want to know if you are happy!’ Jenna begged as Keke replied, “Yes, life is good. I have nothing but gratitude, honestly, seriously,” while Hoda finished her sentence and suggested, “For the relationship….”

“I’m not trying to be specific!” Keke fired back when Jenna asked, “Are you all together?”

“You know what, I’m going to take a page out of my girl Beyonce’s book…mind your business!” she said as Hoda and Jenna said in unison, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”

Meanwhile, on Tuesday’s show, Jenna revealed how her father, George W. Bush, made her “freak out” as a child by exhibiting a certain habit that has influenced the Today host even into her adult years.