A shocking experience.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14's episode of Just the Sip, Hoda Kotb detailed to E!'s Justin Sylvester the upsetting letter she recently received from a troll, who criticized her decision to become a parent later in life.
What's even more bone-chilling? The TODAY co-anchor received the letter "three or four weeks ago" at her home.
"It was this woman who started off with kind of, 'How dare you,'" the beloved broadcaster recalled to Justin. "And she said, 'I can't believe that you thought it was a good idea to become a mother in your early 50s.' And she just, sort of, went off."
As Hoda continued, she remembered noticing that the writer took the time to sit down and handwrite the harsh note.
She further recollected, "And it said, 'You know, if you didn't do the math, I'll do it. When they're in high school…' She literally wrote all this down."
For Hoda, it was like being confronted with her worst fear. Thus, she revealed that she "shredded" the letter.
"Of course, those are my worst fears written down by some person I don't know," the 56-year-old TV personality stated. "But, she wasn't a coward, she signed it and she did have her return address there."
In a moment of vulnerability, Hoda shared how the letter has stayed with her.
"I'm upset because someone wrote that. And I think I'm upset because, it was one of the things I'm most afraid of and someone wrote it down," Hoda said. "It was just the fact that's something that scared me anyway, before she wrote that."
Although Hoda said she tried to shake it off, she reminded listeners that "we're human and it hurts."
As E! readers may recall, in February 2017, Hoda announced on TODAY that she adopted a baby girl, named Haley Joy. Two years later, in April 2019, Hoda revealed she had adopted another daughter, named Hope Catherine.
Rallying behind Hoda, Justin told the popular journalist she should've kept the letter and replied every year on her oldest daughter's adoption anniversary.
"I want you to write this woman and tell her not only all of the joy that she has brought to your life, but all of the joy that you bring to hers," the E! personality sounded off. "And I want you to tell her the mistakes you made that year and the person that you have become from those mistakes and how you won't repeat them the next year."
While fighting back tears, Hoda joked that Justin's next job should be "a shrink."
For all of this and more, including Hoda's thoughts on adopting a third child, listen to the full interview above.