television

by Caroline Blair

March 1, 2023 | 10:24 a.m

Jenna Bush Hager has spoken out about the mysterious absence of “Today” co-host Hoda Kotb after the show revealed the veteran journalist was dealing with a “family health issue.”

Willie [Geist] Bush Hager told viewers at the top of “Today with Hoda & Jenna” Wednesday.

“She just has a matter of the health of the family she’s dealing with,” the writer added.

Posh Hager, 41, and Geist, 47, confirmed they “love” and “adore” Kotb, 58, and are looking forward to her return to work.

The Today show first addressed Kotb’s nearly two-week absence from both her regular slots on the NBC morning show and the 4th hour earlier on Wednesday, around 7:30 a.m. ET.

We know many of you are wondering how she is doing. We can tell you Hoda is fine, [but] “3rd Hour of Today” co-host Craig Melvin, who was on Kotb in the early hours of the show, announced that she had a family health issue she was dealing with.

Melvin, 43, confirmed that they are “looking forward to seeing Hoda and Savannah [Guthrie] Back here on the desk, very soon” — referring to Guthrie, 51, who abruptly left the live show on Tuesday in the middle of the broadcast when she learned she had tested positive for COVID-19.

Al Roker concluded, “We love you both.”

Many fans have expressed concerns about the “Today” primetime show, which hasn’t hosted a live show since February 17 (it appeared on the February 20 episode, but was pre-aired due to Presidents Day).