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‘Good Morning America’ Rival Host Has “Medical Emergency” Live On-Air, “Loses All Eyesight”

A host of Good Morning America‘s rival morning show reportedly suffered a “medical emergency” during a live broadcast on Thursday.

today show with hoda and jenna

Credit: NBC/Today Show

During the Thursday morning broadcast of Today With Hoda & Jenna, one segment of the show was temporarily derailed because of a “medical emergency,” per Decider.com.

The so-called “emergency” became apparent when the senior host of the show, Hoda Kotb, interrupted the segment in progress with an announcement about an issue with her eye.

“I don’t think I took it out last night, and I can’t find it,” Kotb said.

Kotb put the morning show segment on hold to announce that she had a contact lens stuck inside her eye. The announcement was only the beginning of a situation that played out through the allotted time for the segment, through the commercial break, and into the following segment of the Today Show spinoff, which serves as one of the rivals of the Disney/ABC-owned Good Morning America morning show broadcast.

today with hoda and jenna

Credit: NBC/Today Show

In response to Kotb’s predicament, her co-host, Jenna Bush Hager, responded with humor, asking Kotb, “Is this a medical emergency?”

“Well, it feels like it’s in there,” Kotb explained, referring to the contact lens. “I’m not kidding; I was going to go to the eye doctor, but I didn’t have time.”

Then, turning toward the camera, Kotb continued, making a plea to members of the audience of at-home viewers, saying, “Maybe people have tricks to how to get [the contact lens] out! I’m sure people have had contacts that have rolled up. If you guys know, can you post on X?”

As the broadcast was moving toward the commercial break, Hager could be heard asking, “Can we help our girl get her contact out?”

As the commercial break was about to begin, both hosts could be heard discussing Kotb’s issue with her contact lens, and both of the women sounded concerned about the situation despite the humor with which the initial announcement had been made.

Upon returning from the scheduled commercial break, Kotb was still dealing with the issue. During the following segment, titled “Girl Code,” Kotb could be seen holding a hilariously oversized hand mirror. She appeared to be attempting to locate the rogue contact lens within her eye.

today with hoda and kotb

Credit: NBC/Today Show

Suddenly, as the show was again live, Hager made an announcement of her own, telling viewers that Kotb had “now lost all eyesight because her other contact fell out.”

Kotb corrected her co-host, making the clarification that she had two contacts stuck “in there.”

Hager responded with an update, saying, “Okay, they are both lost in the eye cavity.”

Kotb asked Hager to begin the next segment, as she could not read the teleprompter in front of her. As Hager continued, Kotb could be seen attempting to remove the contact lens from her eye yet again, and this time, she finally had success, apparently because of the advice of a viewer.

“Someone said pull your lid and look down,” Kotb said to herself. Only seconds later, she finally managed to remove the contact from her eye.

“Oh wait! That’s one or two [contacts]? That’s one,” Kotb said as she held the contact in her hand. “That was so crazy! That was the best advice.”

As the duo continued with the segment, Kotb told Hager that she could only see her, and she had difficulty reading the teleprompter.

“Everything is super fuzzy,” Kotb said. “It looks like a bunch of mushed-up colors.”

Soon, the guest on the show, Ariana DeBose, arrived and handed Kotb a new set of contacts: “For you, mama!” she said as she stepped onto the stage, saving the day for Kotb and the remainder of the live broadcast.

About Becky Burkett

Becky's from the Lone Star State and has been writing since she was 10 and encountered her first Disney Park when she was 11. It was love at first Main Street Electrical Parade. Joy is blank lined journals, 0.7 mm pens, and all things Walt, Woody and Buzz, PIXAR, Imagineering, Sleeping Beauty (make it blue!), Disney Parks history and EPCOT. At Disney World, you'll find her croonin' with the birdies at the Enchanted Tiki Room or hangin' with Woody and the gang at Toy Story Land. If you can dream, you really can do it!