Hoda Kotb Opens Up About Being Legally Blind: Her Unique Perspective

Hoda Kotb, the beloved host of Today, has always been open about her personal life, and recently, she’s shared something deeply personal: her vision. In a candid moment, she revealed that she’s legally blind, offering a glimpse into how she manages this condition in her everyday life.

Hoda Kotb Shares Her Journey with Vision Loss

During an early 2025 episode of Today, Hoda Kotb sat down with Jenna Bush Hager, where the conversation took an unexpected turn. Jenna, curious about Hoda's vision habits, asked her if she ever wears glasses. This seemingly simple question opened the door to a heartfelt discussion about Hoda's unique approach to managing her vision.

“Do you wear glasses?” Jenna asked, to which Hoda responded with a surprising twist: “I’m legally blind — I wear one contact.” Jenna, taken aback by the revelation, replied, “I know you do.”

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Hoda then went on to explain her unconventional method of managing her vision. “You know why I wear one?” she asked, referring to her single contact lens. “And it’s brilliant!” she added, with a touch of humor. As a mother of two, Haley and Hope, with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, Hoda has found a way to balance her professional and personal life despite her condition.

For anyone struggling with vision issues, Hoda shared her reasoning: “If you wear one, you can see far and you can read, because this one doesn’t have one in it.” She explained that wearing just one contact allows her to have a clear vision for distance with one eye and the ability to read up close with the other. It’s a clever solution that works perfectly for her.

Jenna, understandably confused, pointed out, “They make contacts like that!” Hoda, however, prefers her method, explaining that specialized contacts make her dizzy. “This is so good,” she said, pointing to her eyes, emphasizing her contentment with her current setup.

Jenna playfully stood up from her chair and placed Hoda’s hair in front of her eye. “When your hair goes over your eye, can you read?” Jenna asked, lightening the mood. Hoda, realizing Jenna’s point, placed a hand over her eye as she looked out into the audience. “Do you know that those are your friends over there?” Jenna asked, pointing to members of the audience.

Understanding Legal Blindness

According to Cleveland Clinic, being legally blind refers to a significant loss of vision. Government agencies use this term to determine policies related to vision loss. If your visual acuity is equal to or less than the defined thresholds, you qualify as ‘legally blind.’

The American Optometric Association reports that approximately 12 million adults aged 40 and older in the United States live with uncorrectable vision loss. Among them, more than 1 million Americans are classified as blind.

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Hoda's Contact Lens Mishap on ‘Today’

In a February 2024 episode of Today, Hoda faced a minor challenge with her contact lens. “I think I have a contact stuck in my eye way up here,” she told Jenna during the broadcast. “I don’t think I took it out last night, and I can’t find it. It feels like it’s in there!”

Without time to visit the doctor, Hoda turned to viewers at home for advice on removing the contact. “We have breaking news: Hoda has now lost all eyesight because her other contact fell out,” Jenna joked. “I’m going to go ahead and read, and hopefully when the health person comes, we can resolve this issue.”

Eventually, Hoda managed to remove the old contact and waited for someone to bring her a new one. Luckily, West Side Story actress Ariana DeBose, who was on standby for a segment, stepped in to help by providing Hoda with a fresh contact lens.