Hoda Kotb kicked off her 4th of July celebrations early this year with her daughters, Haley and Hope. The Today host shared some sweet photos with her kids before heading off on assignment.
“Happy early 4th!” Hoda, 59, captioned the pictures on Sunday, June 30. She held Hope, 4, in her arms as Haley, 7, stood by her side. Fireworks could be seen in the background of the photos.
Hoda shares her kids with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, whom she announced her split from in January 2022 on Today.
Shortly after posting the photos, Hoda hopped on a plane to Minnesota to report on the final night of gymnastics Olympic trials at the Target Center in Minneapolis. In one clip posted on Today’s official Instagram account, Hoda cheered and clapped her hands as she watched the women compete for spots on the Olympic team.
The longtime broadcaster is a huge fan of the sport and Simone Biles, who secured her spot on the Olympic team for the third time.
“Still feeling so hyped from last night’s gymnastics Olympic trials! Next stop: Paris,” one caption on Today’s official Instagram account read.
In another video, Hoda was seen hugging and chatting with Simone’s family in the stands, including Simone’s husband, Jonathan Owens, and her little sister, Adria Biles. Suni Lee, Jordan Chiles, Jade Carey and Hezly Rivera also made the team, while Joscelyn Roberson and Leanne Wong were named alternates.
“Deja vu, but also I feel like a little bit of a redemption tour,” Simone, 27, told Hoda during an interview following the event, which aired on NBC on Monday, July 1. “In Tokyo, we all didn’t have our best performances, so we’re excited to go out there and kill it.”
The professional athlete praised the caliber of talent at the Olympic trials this year.
“Because of the depth that the U.S. has. It’s so incredible, so we’re all fighting for basically the same position,” she said. “But that’s what makes Team USA Team USA. We have grit, we have power, we have grace. We kind of have everything. So [we’re] just fighting for that spot.”
The Today crew will be heading to Paris later this month to cover the Olympics, and they are all incredibly excited, including Hoda and Savannah Guthrie. They traveled to Beijing for the Olympics in 2022 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“You know, Hoda is like the unofficial den mother of USA Gymnastics,” Savannah, 52, said during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March. “She cheers for them so hard. Speaking of Tokyo, during the pandemic, where we weren’t allowed to really even look at each other, Hoda was like, ‘Well their families aren’t here and someone’s going to give them a hug’ and the Japanese government was like ‘Tell that woman to stop hugging the athletes.’ It was like an international incident.”
“I almost got in trouble big time, big time,” Hoda admitted.
Also Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celebrity News
