CBS Mornings star Tony Dokoupil has shared an update on his two children who are currently living in Israel amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
During a poignant segment on the morning TV show, Tony, 42, told his co-stars: "Thank you to everybody, our colleagues, our friends who reached out to ask how I'm doing, how my family is doing. I've heard from a lot of people online as well."
He went on to say: "It's tough. I have an 11-year-old and a 14-year-old who live in Israel. They live there with their mother, my ex-wife. They are safe. But just as a father, I think people can understand if somebody, anybody is firing rockets in the direction of your children without regard as to whether they are struck or not, you’re gonna feel a thing or two, so it's been a rollercoaster week.
"The rockets are just step one. That's the beginning of it. I've been sad and angry and disgusted to see the news that's unfolded in the 48 hours since."
Tony finished by adding: "Three generations now have been living through war and terror and trauma and now, it's my kids."
Fans and friends raced to the comments section to send messages of support. "Praying for your family and all the other families in the middle of this mess," wrote one, while another chimed in: "I just learned this morning [that your children are living in Israel.] My heart broke for you as you spoke. Please know I am praying for you and your children as well as their mother and Israel."
A third commented: "Prayers for your family and all the families in Israel and Palestine," and a fourth added: "Tony, thank you for speaking about this so eloquently."
Tony shares his two eldest children, aged 13 and 11, with his ex-wife. They spend the school year in Tel Aviv and then visit Tony in NYC for around eight to ten weeks during the school holidays.
He is also a doting father to four-year-old son Teddy and two-year-old daughter Eloise whom he shares with his wife Katy Tur.
During an exclusive interview with HELLO! Magazine in 2022, Tony spoke about his parenting journey and how he always keeps his kids at the forefront of his mind.
Opening up, he revealed: "When I go on assignments I always have my family in the front of my mind. I think about them when I do my work because I try to explain the complexities of the world that would be clear and interesting to my almost 13-year-old.
"I imagine him on the other side of the camera as opposed to the whole world of potential viewers because it makes it personal. I try to tell it as though I am telling it to him."
He also spoke about the highs and lows of fatherhood, telling us: "I think the best thing about being a dad is the double and triple vision it gives you. On the one hand it gives you the ability to look into your past and look at your own parents in a new way and see what they experienced, and you also get this magical ability to look into the future and think about what life would be like for this little kiddo who will be stretching on long after you."
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