Hoda Kotb might be one of the most successful TV hosts of our time, but she says her middle school self wasn't nearly as self-assured.
Hoda and Jenna Bush Hager got to chatting on TODAY on March 19 about their pre-teen years when Hoda revealed she used to be bullied.
"There was not a time when I was more insecure than 7th grade, 8th grade," Hoda said. "Those years were the pits."
"I remember sitting in front of the bus and listening to people make fun of me and just willing the bus to get to school," she recalled. "And I remember the feeling was like, 'Just end this bus ride, get me to school.'"
She added that one girl constantly threatened to beat her up — even though the two didn't know each other.
"There was this one girl who always threatened to beat me up, and I was so scared of her," Hoda recalled. "I didn’t even know her. I was like, 'Why do you want to beat me up?' and I had no idea why, but I know I never mentioned it. I didn’t mention it...I was scared of her."
"I'm gonna need to know her name," quipped Jenna.
Hoda explained that she felt like "back then," kids weren't as "expressive" and open to sharing their bullying experiences.
"I just think I was more of a ‘Let’s push through' thing because I think back then, I don’t know that kids were so expressive," she said.
Jenna added that she doesn't know anyone who had a great middle school experience and recounted getting dumped by a boyfriend who broke up with her after seeing her in a bathing suit.
"It’s like everybody feels bad," Jenna said. "So it’s just a cesspool of insecurity and so therefore there’s rage and bullying, and all sorts of terrible things."
Hoda added that parents of pre-teens shouldn't worry too much if their kids are having a rough go of it in junior high.
"Just so you know, if you have kids who are going through a really tough middle school year, don’t worry," she said.
"Look at her now, y'all!" Jenna replied.
