Hoda Kotb made an emotional return to the “Today” show on Monday after an extended hiatus related to the hospitalization of her 3-year-old daughter, Hope.

“My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week,” Hoda explained alongside her co-host, Savannah Guthrie.

“I’m so grateful she’s home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy,” Kotb added.

Kotb, 58, became choked up as she discussed her feelings of “gratitude” for those who supported her family during her absence.

“I’m grateful for the doctors at Weill Cornell who were amazing and the nurses. And I’m grateful to my family, and I’m grateful to friends like you who were there every single day. So, I want to say thank you for that. I love you,” Kotb added.

Kotb, a longtime fixture on the “Today” show, had last appeared live on the morning program on Feb. 17. The lengthy absence – and a series of ominous posts on her Instagram account – had sparked concern among Kotb’s fans.

NBC’s Craig Melvin provided the first explanation for Kotb’s absence last week during March 1’s edition of the “Today” show.

“We can tell you that Hoda has a family health matter that she’s been dealing with,” Melvin said at the time.

A day earlier, Guthrie had abruptly left the “Today” set in the middle of the broadcast after testing positive for COVID-19.

Melvin said the morning show’s team was looking “forward to seeing Hoda and Savannah [Guthrie] back here at the desk very, very soon.”

Kotb and her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, co-parent their two daughters, Hope and 5-year-old Haley.

Kotb and Schiffman ended their engagement in December 2021.

Several NBC anchors filled in for Kotb during her absence, including Melvin, “World News Tonight” anchor Tom Llamas, “Today 3rd Hour” host Sheinelle Jones and “Sunday Today” anchor Willie Geist.