I love to see Hoda Kotb’s interviews because she’s such a genuinely enthusiastic and nice person. She has spoken about how happy she is to be a mom, she adopted baby Hayley in 2017, and how much it changed her life. The last time I covered her she said she would take her worst day being a mom over her best day before that. She’s since written two children’s books and she was on The Tonight Show promoting her upcoming release, You Are My Happy. She was also celebrating her one year anniversary of co-hosting the Today Show with Savannah Guthrie. That happened after Matt Lauer was finally exposed as a rapist and people wonder why that took so long, why NBC execs covered for him for years, and also why no one realized what a winning combination Savannah and Hoda would be. (It’s because they’re women, but you know what I mean.) Hoda spoke so fondly about Savannah and praised what a pro she is. Now that Kaiser and I are doing the podcast I think about that a lot, about how much work and experience must go into talking naturally on camera and being a good interviewer. The best people make it look effortless.
I know it looks easy on TV but it’s such a hard job
My admiration for [Savannah] deepens every day. There are certain people the more you know them the more you like them. She is an amazing person. I watched her interview Andrew McCabe then Andy Cohen.How old is Hayley?
Hayley actually just turned two. The thing people say that I believe is the most true is ‘you blink and it goes like that [snaps fingers]. You have to hang in the moments and I’ve been trying to do that more.
I was looking at my photostream yesterday. My son, who is now 14 and taller than me, looked like a completely different person just a few years ago. (2015 wasn’t that long ago, you know?) When he was a newborn an elderly man told me “it will go by so fast.” I still remember that occasionally as it seemed trite at the time, but it’s so true. Hoda’s baby is only two though so she has plenty of time. On the other hand we look back fondly on those years when our babies were innocent and sweet, but we forget how frustrating and hard it could be. It’s bittersweet to watch them grow up and become adults because the time is fleeting and we feel both remorse and relief. I only want the best moments back, not all the work.
Here’s that interview. She also talked about Kathy Lee Gifford retiring and called her a television legend.
This baby!
photos credit: WENN and via Instagram
God it does go fast. I don’t age much in six months, but a kid can be completely different in that time frame. It’s sad, but happy, and so crazy. You can’t help but think about life a little different when it’s right there in your face.
I love her. And it is thrilling to see a mom who isn’t constantly complaining about her child, saying she needs wine to make it each day.
I have loved every minute of my children’s childhood, and I was fortunate to be able to work at home and homeschool them. When you are around them all of the time it is easier to deal with everything. They are just a part of your life, not a periodic intrusion. But I loved staying home, so teaching them was thrilling for me. And now they are grown!
I always thought I would rather have “Loving wife and mother” on my gravestone than “worked hard and had no family life in a job where I could easily be replaced”.
So happy I live in a country where women have a choice how to raise their kids.
Wow. Judge much?
I am not sure if you meant to come off this way but it feels like you’re saying that women who won’t or don’t have the opportunity to stay home with their kids will have “I just worked hard and had no family life” on their tombstone.
My daughter doesn’t think of me as any less of a present and involved mother than your kids think of you. I am really happy that you had the opportunity to live the life that you thought was right for you and your family, but i have a career outside of the home that i value tremendously and i feel irreplaceable at my job. I also have a very rich family life with quality time with my child and I am very upset with any implication that women who work could easily be replaced at their jobs or have no family life. That’s not the case.
I also have a two year old and it really does fly! It is an amazing experience but I am so thrilled that my daughter is getting a little more independent. As a woman with a career, i feel like my brain has been turned to mush for these past two years and I am just now getting my capacity for greatness back to continue building my reputation in my career.
So happy Hoda gets to have this experience because, while it is draining and felt like it shut down my brain, it’s also magical and i feel like it opened my heart.
This actually made my eyes water because time is flying by, days feel like minutes and my One and Three year olds are learning new skills everyday! Everyday I tell myself, “today is the youngest they will ever be again in their life!!” I realize this sounds silly but it reminds and to take it all in because what I am living right now will be those good ol’ days I long for 30 years from now! 😭 **Crying into my coffee**
Such a cute little girl. Wish them both by the best.
+1
I love her. She’s so real and relateable. My SO and I watched her on the Tonight Show and he asked me when they started letting normal people on TV. I’m always happy to see her happy.
Hailey is adorable!
Hoda’s house looks messy and that’s a COMPLIMENT!How nice to see someone with a real home instead of the fake clean decorated perfection we see on instagram .
I want her red jumpsuit ❤️
My baby girl back then had allergies …everything but breast milk would make her sick and send her to anaphylactic shock. So to me, the time from new born baby to 3 years old seemed like 20 years in hell and I am so glad it is over and now I have the most beautiful healthy 7yo girl (baby allergies do go away!). We shared some precious moments, but in general, we both feel much happier now.
The days are long but the years are short.
I love hoda. Precious baby too!