Celebrated journalist, bestselling author, and CEO Hoda Kotb will address the Class of 2026 on May 16 at Fordham University’s annual commencement ceremony, where she will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters in recognition of all she has done to inform and uplift the public throughout her distinguished career.
“We all know her from the TODAY show, where Hoda’s warmth and intelligence lit up our mornings for so many years. Hoda Kotb’s courage, creativity, and resilience will inspire our graduates,” Fordham President Tania Tetlow said. “She has led a truly kaleidoscopic media career, boldly reporting on world events and sharing others’ stories—as well as her own—with utmost integrity. We at Fordham are blessed to have her as our commencement speaker.”
Following 17 successful years with the show, Kotb recently departed from her dual roles in NBC’s TODAY morning lineup—co-anchoring its news program and co-hosting the fourth-hour talk show. She was known for her engaging presence and playful but thoughtful approach, “balanced by wisdom born of a decades-long career in broadcast journalism,” according to The New York Times.
Kotb is CEO of Joy 101, a first-of-its-kind wellness platform she launched last year—after leaving TODAY—to share personal wellness discoveries and foster a community for a more “joyful, balanced, beautiful life.” She is host of the popular podcast Making Space with Hoda Kotb and the author of nine books, including her latest, Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life, a New York Times bestseller described by Publishers Weekly as “an energizing guide to self-transformation.”
“It’s an honor to be asked to speak at Fordham’s commencement ceremony,” Kotb said. “As someone who believes in the power of perseverance and new beginnings, I’m excited to be part of an event that celebrates hard work, optimism, and the joy that the future can bring. I can’t wait to personally congratulate the Class of 2026 on all they have achieved.”
A Career of Distinction
Her career has garnered multiple awards, including a 2019 Emmy Award for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host for her work on TODAY with Kathie Lee & Hoda. Her work on TODAY was also recognized with three Daytime Emmys awarded to the show in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Among other honors, she is the recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as a Gracie Award and Webby Award for her music video Truly Brave, focused on pediatric cancer.
She received a Peabody Award in 2006 for her Dateline segment “The Education of Ms. Groves,” a “triumphant” account of “the difficult and complex lives” of students in a struggling urban school district and the journey of their teacher, an idealistic Teach for America volunteer, according to the Peabody Awards’ website.
Kotb also received two Gracie Awards for The Hoda Show, her radio show on SiriusXM. In 2022, she was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame.
Courage and Compassion in Reporting
Kotb earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and worked as a news anchor and reporter in Florida, New Orleans, and elsewhere before joining NBC News in 1998. As a correspondent for Dateline NBC, she covered a diversity of domestic and international stories, including the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the war in Iraq, the conflict in the West Bank and Gaza, and the war in Afghanistan.
Over the years, Kotb also contributed to NBC’s coverage of several Olympics contests, from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Following her diagnosis with breast cancer in 2007, she became a strong advocate for early detection and access to treatment. Because music helped her cope when battling cancer, she joined with pop stars Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles to create the Truly Brave video in 2014, focusing on children with cancer. It combined the titles of two of the singers’ works—Lauper’s “True Colors” and Bareilles’ “Brave.” The debut of the video was followed by tens of thousands of dollars in donations to the American Cancer Society, as reported by NBC News.
“I cannot fathom what it’s like for a little kid to face such a grown-up disease,” she said in a TODAY segment. “When I visited pediatric hospitals, all I wanted to do was make it better, and if music helped me, I thought maybe I could give these kids the gift of that perfect song—a song just for them.”
