Last year, Today’s Hoda Kotb announced that she’d adopted a baby. It was one of the most heartfelt and open birth announcements we’ve ever heard from a celebrity and you could tell that Hoda absolutely adores her daughter, little Haley Joy. Hoda’s affection and love for Haley was infectious and raw. All of this happened of course before we learned that Matt Lauer is a serial predator and before Hoda took over as co-anchor on the Today Show with Savannah Guthrie, who has two children, including a baby boy, Charlie, just a few weeks older than Haley. Hoda and Savannah have only increased ratings for The Today Show and there’s a lot of interest in their personal lives. Hoda recently went on Ellen where she talked about her boyfriend and her daughter, who is now 11 months old. She was of course as open and real as we’ve come to expect from her and I just love seeing her. Here’s some of what she said and the video is below.
On talking to her boyfriend about her decision to adopt
I had thought about having kids for a long, long time. But one day I was sitting with my boyfriend and I said to him, ‘I’m going to have to talk to you about something because I can’t push it down anymore, push it away.’ I said, ‘Don’t answer now. Take a day, take a week, take some time. But I want to talk to you about this.’ And he said, ‘OK, what is it?’ And I said, ‘I would like to explore adoption with you.’Keep in mind he has a daughter who is in law school. He’s about to turn 60. And he looked at me and said, ‘I don’t need a day.’ And I knew I’d chosen the right man.
The moment she heard Haley arrived
I still remember the day I was sitting in my office waiting for the moment you get a phone call. I saw a text and she texted ‘call me.’ I stopped for a minute. I looked at the clock and I wrote down 11:54 a.m. I knew that was the minute it was changing. I just felt it. And I dialed the number, and she answered the phone and she said, ‘She’s here.’ [gets choked up]On how her life has changed
I would take my worst day, the day when everything is falling apart, with Haley over my favorite day before.
[From The Ellen show via People]
Do you guys feel this way, like everything is different and better now that you have a kid or kids? Do you feel like you’re a different person as a mom? Honestly I don’t. I wouldn’t do a single thing to change the fact that I have a son and he’s the most important person in my life, but I feel like the same person with highs and lows at about the same level as they were before. When I think of my life I do separate it into before and after I had him, but it didn’t get instantly amazing, I just had a child to take care of and to love. I was younger than Hoda though and I would have a different perspective if I had my first child around 50 instead of 30.
Here’s the video of Hoda and they showed a clip of Haley walking. Haley is so cute! Hoda didn’t say much about Lauer, she just said hat “after everything went down” they started asking her to fill in and then told her that it was working out well. “It was very organic and real… it just merged into a job.” Ellen asked her if she missed drinking with Kathy Lee and joked “I don’t know how they gave you a baby.” Hoda explained that she still does the show with Kathy Lee at 10 so she’s not missing it too much! They really need to compensate her on par with Matt Lauer’s salary.
Photos credit: Hoda Kotb/Instagram and via WENN
I think at her age, in her early fifties, and because she thought that was never going to happen for her that this first year with her daughter has felt exactly like that. I get it.
I agree. I’m also very aware that she is in the fortunate position to be able to hire support if/whenever she needs it and that she has not yet experienced the hell that is toddlerhood!
That’s a cute baby!!! Much happiness for Hoda, Haley and family!
Hoda Kotb now that is a name i have never heard before…what is her background.
Erm, no – my best day before kids was effing awesome and I wouldn’t swap it for those crying-all-day-for-no-reason horror fests of babyhood. Not that I ever wish my son wasn’t around – but pre kids life was pretty awesome too.
thank you , I feel same way .
Love my kids and so…but… XD
I think it depends on the person. I know people who say they can’t remember their life before they had kids and life didn’t begin until their kids birth. I clearly remember my life before I had my twins and enjoyed the hell out of my pre-kid life. I’m just enjoying life in a different way now that i have two 2year olds dependent on me.
I’m not sure I could make that statement in full truthfulness. I adore my sons, I’d never change the fact that I had them, but I’m still the same person (probably more cautious and worried more lol but otherwise the same) and I appreciate the fun experiences I’ve had before and after having kids. That being said, my kids both came to me quite easily (I don’t even know what it’s like to try for a baby), so I can see where she’s coming from. In some sense, it makes me realize maybe I take some stuff for granted without even realizing it.
I think I’d agree with her. It took a long time to get pregnant with my first and I didn’t know if it was ever going to happen.
I get where she’s coming from, because I feel the exact same way. But it’s okay if you don’t feel that way. I have a friend who never wanted kids and even had her tubes tied. However, she ended up pregnant. She loves her daughter more than anything, but she’s often said she enjoyed life more before she became a mom.
No, I love my baby girl but I prefer the days where we are both happy rather than the crappy ones.
I became a single mom thanks to IVF when I was nearly 40 and I feel exactly the same way as Hoda. It took me more than a year to get pregnant and it was an expensive, wrenching experience because I wasn’t sure it would ever happen. I’m so happy it worked out for her and she’s got the Today Show gig now, because unlike Matt Lauer, she sounds like a really good person.
Her love for her daughter delights me and touches my heart. I get that she’s trying to describe the magnitude of that love but I think this is kind of a strange way of putting it. I do not prefer a day with one of my kids when I had virtually no sleep and I cannot seem to console them to a day that I enjoyed with a loved one before they were born. I had some kick ass days and some shitty days before becoming a Mom and after. Having children is the best thing I have done in life hands down but I had some good times before too. There are highs and lows in all seasons of life.
I got choked up reading this. Her joy really comes through and I’m so happy for her personally and professionally.
All three of my boys were birth control babies, unexpected and definitely not planned. They’re years apart and I cried after I found out about each pregnancy lol. My last one…. I think I cried for three weeks. Ugly cry. My family calls me The Decade Mom (20s, 30s and 40s). So my life has been consumed with a wee one since I was 24. Having said all that, I can’t image not having “my men.” My best and worst days are with my family. I have doting sons who aren’t afraid to show emotion, make me laugh as well as cry. My youngest is as passionate as the other two. They have such good souls and are so caring, kind and independent even with a crazy mom. So yeah, I guess my kids have had my heart for 27 years. Yikes.
Sorry what is birth control babies? Meaning you were on it and kept getting pregnant..did you change the methods after say the second,i only ask because i recently got an IUD and i am terrified of ever getting pregnant again.
Yeah. I was on two different pills. My doctor inserted an IUD which lasted maybe five minutes. Something about my shape prevented a good fit and was excruciatingly painful. My last pregnancy occurred with the pill Yaz? I think that was the name. In any case, I was obviously the 1%. I always thought the cosmos was playing some sick joke on me, but without birth control maybe I would been another Mom Duggar!
ugh I wish her nothing but the best but as one who is childless not by my own choice, this really rubs me the wrong way. its what we think and what “you” (where you=parents) know. its in the looks you give us. we just don’t need it in print too.
I’m sorry you are not able to have children, and would have liked to. But she clearly couldn’t have kids either (for whatever reasons) and is now in her 50s with a baby. I don’t think she needs to tamp down her joy because other people aren’t as fortunate.
Exactly!
I definitely feel this way about having my son but I don’t think it’s a feeling exclusive to babies. It could be about your marriage or bringing your fur baby home.
Sometimes, I think I’m a better version of myself since having my son and then sometimes I think I’m doing everything wrong, so it definitely comes in waves for me!
I didn’t want kids because I loved my life and everyone said it changed your life. Then I reluctantly decided to have two in my 30’s and I did change me. I finally understood the powerful and amazing feelings of being a mother. I understand completely where she is coming from.
But if I hadn’t had kids I don’t think I would have realized what I was missing. So I do think a childfree-by-choice woman can be estatically happy. And have less to worry about than those of us who are moms!!!