There’s one present on Hoda Kotb’s daughters’ Christmas lists that Santa Claus won’t be placing underneath the tree this year.
“They want makeup, but what is that about?” Kotb, 60, shared on the Wednesday, December 18, episode of Late Night With Seth Meyers. “That is not happening. What are we talking about? All these little kids, like young kids, 7, 8, 9 [years old], are into skincare and stuff. But we don’t have that in my house. That’s a big no.”
Kotb shares daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. This year will mark her first Christmas in her new suburban home outside of New York City, where she moved her family earlier this year.
Luckily for the Today show host, her girls have more than just makeup on their holiday wishlists. “They asked Santa for magic sets. They like magic sets,” she shared. “They like American Girl dolls. They’re into anything with bubbles.”
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Host Seth Meyers went on to joke that Kotb’s kids will have to put up with a “few more years of bubbles” before they are allowed to start wearing makeup.
Kotb will be by her daughters’ sides when that time comes, as she will be leaving Today next month after nearly 30 years at NBC. While announcing her exit in September, Kotb cited turning 60 and wanting to spend more time with her kids as the main reasons behind her decision.
“All of us, like, have a time pie and you kind of have to decide how much of your time pie do your kids get and how much does your work get,” Kotb reiterated on Late Night With Seth Meyers. “And so, I thought, it’s time for my kids to get a bigger slice.”
Following her final episode on Friday, January 10, Craig Melvin will take over her role as Savannah Guthrie’s Today coanchor. Jenna Bush Hager will continue to cohost the fourth hour — which will be retitled Today With Jenna & Friends — alongside a rotating lineup of guest hosts.
On Wednesday, Meyers, 50, questioned Kotb about what parts of her Today job she will and won’t miss. One thing she, Haley and Hope will all miss about 30 Rockefeller Plaza is eating at the NBC commissary dining hall.
“I love the NBC commissary,” Kotb gushed. “In fact, when my kids come to hang out or come to see me at work, the only thing they ask for is to go up to the ninth floor of the commissary, because it’s got a good spread.”
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Among the things Kotb won’t miss are waking up at 3 a.m. for the show and having to work on holidays. Though she will no longer receive her morning weather report from Al Roker on-air, Kotb said she will keep up the tradition from home.
“I’m still gonna get that [weather report]. I’m texting Al,” she stated. “I’m gonna be like, ‘What’s up for my trip? What’s up for today?’ And Al, he’s the first one to respond.”
The Today cast and crew will celebrate Kotb throughout her final week on the show next month, which will culminate with a special “Hoda-bration” episode filmed in front of a live studio audience in 30 Rock’s Studio 8G, a.k.a. the Late Night With Seth Meyers studio.
“This is gonna be the spot. And we, first of all, we love you. We love this spot. And to think that the last one’s gonna be live on a Friday is pretty cool,” Kotb told Meyers, who hilariously responded: “But don’t get, like, any sticky fingers while you’re here.”
