Hoda Kotb Reveals Sandra Bullock’s Sweet Connection To Her Adoption Story
Hoda Kotb revealed her family’s sweet connection to Sandra Bullock during a heartwarming interview with the actor this week.
The former “Today” show host sat down with Bullock and her “Practical Magic” co-star, Nicole Kidman, for an interview for Kotb’s “Making Space” podcast.
Kotb revealed the link to Bullock while explaining how the “Miss Congeniality” actor’s adoption journey led to her own.
And for Bullock, the moment brought on all the tears.
“When I see Sandy, I get all emotional,” Kotb began, preparing to explain the life-altering moment she experienced 10 years ago.
“I realized I had missed the window to have children and I felt terrible about it… I kept saying, you know, ‘Don’t worry about it. You don’t get everything in life. Stop asking for everything,’” she continued. “And then I got home. I turned on the TV and one of those shows mentioned that Sandra Bullock had adopted a baby from New Orleans named Louis.”
“I literally googled, ‘How old is Sandra Bullock?’ And I was like, she’s my exact age,” the now 62-year-old Kotb said, adding that she “burst out into tears” during that moment.
“And so I reached out, and I called you, and I said, ‘I have to ask you a question.’ I said, ‘Tell me what it’s like,’” Kotb recalled. “You said, ‘Louis is in the backyard singing happy birthday because he thinks he’s getting cake … and he’s peeing. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.’”
“She changed the course of my life,” Kotb said, as everyone in the room got emotional. “I now have a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old solely because of that moment. And I often think of that.”
Kotb has two daughters, Hayley and Hope, through adoption.
Bullock adopted her son, Louis, in 2010. She adopted her daughter, Laila, five years later.
During a previous interview with Kotb, Bullock explained why she is so open about her family’s own adoption journey.
“I hope me telling my story lets people know that there’s no end game. There are hundreds of thousands of children that are ready to be your child,” Bullock said back in 2018.
“You’re a forever parent the minute you accept the love of that child. And it’s amazing to me how we can take away people’s happiness by telling them that this is the box that you have to stay in. There is no box.”
