Hoda Kotb revealed during a recent interview that Sandra Bullock's adoption journey served as a direct inspiration for her own path to motherhood. Kotb, a host on "Today," sat down with Bullock and "Practical Magic" co-star Nicole Kidman for Kotb's "Making Space" podcast.
During the conversation, Kotb recounted how she felt she had missed the opportunity to have children and struggled with that realization. "I kept saying, you know, ‘Don’t worry about it. You don’t get everything in life. Stop asking for everything,’" Kotb said. Her perspective shifted when she saw a television report stating that Bullock had adopted a baby boy named Louis from New Orleans.
Upon discovering that Bullock, an actress, was around her own age, Kotb, now 62, felt a profound emotional connection. "I literally googled, ‘How old is Sandra Bullock?’ And I was like, she’s my exact age," Kotb recalled, adding that she "burst out into tears" at that moment. She then reached out to Bullock, seeking advice.
Kotb shared Bullock's response: "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."
This exchange, Kotb stated, "changed the course of my life." She is now the mother of two adopted daughters, Hayley and Hope. Bullock adopted her son Louis in 2010 and her daughter Laila five years later.
In a previous interview with Kotb, Bullock spoke about the importance of sharing her adoption story. "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 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."