Hoda Kotb's Daughter Haley and Her Second Grade Classmates Have the 'Best Field Trip Ever' as They Visit theTodayShow

Mar. 15, 2025

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC

Nathan Congleton/NBC

Hoda Kotb’sdaughter brought her entire class to theTodayshow!

On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Kotb’s daughter Haley Joy, 7, stood with her entire second grade class at the plaza outsideTodayduring the show’s taping. As they broadcasted outside,Savannah Guthrieturned to Hoda Kotb and said, “Lots to get through but Hoda, I see some our favorite second graders on the plaza.”

“We just want to say hi! Miss Rutherford’s class is here. I’ve got Haley and all of her classmates. Hi guys!” Kotb exclaimed. “Are you guys freezing cold but you’re having fun?”

“Yeah!” the class responded.

“You’re going to see more of them, they’re going to come on our show at 10,” Kotb said. “We’ve got the principal and vice principal — we’ve got the whole crew! Best field trip ever.”

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“Take a look at these lovely faces! Do you see them? This is my daughter’s second grade class and this is Miss Rutherford in the house!” Kotb said.

Throughout the episode, Haley’s classmates helped out in different segments and waved hello as the camera panned to show their specialToday with Hoda & JennaT-shirts.

Kotb, who is stepping away fromTodayin 2025, recently moved her two daughters – Haley and Hope, 4 — to the suburbs. In October, the mom of twogleefully revealed the news that she’d purchased a minivanfor her family of three. “Guys, I’m getting a minivan! A Toyota Sienna!” she cheered on a Nov. 14 episode ofToday with Hoda & Jenna. “I’m so excited. I have wanted a Toyota Sienna for a long time.”

Kotb then hilariously imitated the motion of the automatic sliding doors on her new car, saying, “You push the buttons, click! And the doors go woosh.”

“And, let me explain, me and a minivan is like a dream,” she continued. “I’ve wanted it and I haven’t had it. Also, I am sometimes carpool mom. I can only take three kids because there’s no other room. Not anymore! I cannot wait for it.”

Later in November, Kotb gave an update on her minivan, saying thatshe’s already used it to hidefrom some of her responsibilities. “Have I told you I love my minivan? I love it so much,” Kotb told Hager.

“Have you [gone] in there to hide from your children yet?” Bush Hager asked.

Admitting that she has, Kotb explained that the day before, she “cased out my own house. I sat outside and I didn’t go in…But I was in the car. So I was casing and waiting.”

She added that sometimes it can be hard to get things done with her two daughters at home because the “minute I go in, I can’t do anything. I was doing my thing and then I went in later.”

Bush Hager, who is mom to daughters Mila, 11, and Poppy, 9, as well as son Hal, 5, noted that sometimes it’s nice to sit in the car for a while to get some alone time.

“You’ll find yourself sitting in cars, listening to music, having just some alone time,” she told Kotb. “And wait, you’re like, ‘OK, maybe just one more song.'”

“Sometimes you need that time,” Kotb agreed. “You reset. And then you’re ready.”

source: people.com