Hoda Kotb got the warmest of welcomes upon returning home after covering the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In an Instagram video uploaded Thursday, August 8, Kotb, 59, received hugs from her kids before she even fully walked in the door and set her bags down. “Mommy!” Kotb’s eldest daughter, Haley, 7, shouted as she and Hope, 5, ran toward their mom.
Kotb’s Instagram post also featured several snaps from her sweet reunion with her daughters, including one where she picked up Hope for a loving bear hug. In another pic, Kotb embraced her two girls while hanging out on their couch.
Kotb, who shares her daughters with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, simply captioned the post, “Home ❤️.”
Kotb and her cohosts Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker were back in New York City for the Wednesday, August 7, episode of Today after spending nearly two weeks in France. “We’re so happy to be home in Studio 1A,” Guthrie, 52, said, noting that it was “hard to leave Paris.”
Craig Melvin, meanwhile, has continued to appear on the show from Today’s Olympics studio in front of the Eiffel Tower. (The Paris Olympics will conclude with the closing ceremony on Sunday, August 11.)
Before her journey abroad, Kotb shared that she was making “Love You Loops” for Haley and Hope to help them cope with her being away. “I do a loop a day where we hide a little something like stickers or hair ties, and then they know how many days are left,” she explained on the July 22 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna.
While Haley and Hope weren’t able to join their mother in Paris, they still showed their support for Kotb and the U.S. athletes. “Team USA cheerleaders at home!” Kotb captioned a July 29 Instagram pic of her girls sporting red, white and blue gymnastics leotards.
A few days later, Kotb got emotional as the Today crew surprised her, Guthrie and Melvin, 45, with videos from their kids. “Hi, Mommy! We love and miss you! Go Team USA! Go USA!,” Haley and Hope said in the clip, after which Kotb remarked, “That was so sweet.”
Kotb’s Paris Olympics experience was full of many memorable moments, from snapping a selfie with Tom Cruise at the July 26 opening ceremony to visiting famous landmarks with her Today crew and cheering on the women’s gymnastics team at their events.
Kotb even gave Haley and Hope the ultimate surprise by getting Simone Biles to FaceTime them during a commercial break on Tuesday, August 6. “Hi, girlfriend!” Biles, 27, said while waving at Kotb’s phone screen in an Instagram clip shared by Today. “Oh, my God. She looks so cute with her little glasses. Wait, she’s so pretty.”
