Hoda Kotb Did Not Bring Daughters Haley and Hope to Paris Olympics Because of ‘Mom Guilt’

For Hoda Kotb, being away from her two daughters, Haley and Hope, is never easy. The Today host revealed why she decided not to bring her girls with her to the Paris Olympics, which she will be covering for NBC.

“I actually told my kids first, like, ‘You’re going,'” Hoda, 59, told Women’s Health in an interview published on Thursday, July 25. “They’re like, ‘Yay!’ But they don’t know.”

In the end, the TV personality decided that it was best for the girls to stay in NYC while she travels on assignment

“Mom guilt is real anyway, so the guilt of being in the same country and going on shoots and wondering, ‘Where are they? Are they OK? What are they doing?'” Hoda explained during the interview.

Savannah Guthrie also chimed in to say that it was difficult not to bring along kids Vale and Charley but ultimately felt like it was the right decision due to work obligations.

“We have to be really flexible with the schedule, so if we made a plan to go see the Eiffel Tower, it would be, ‘Just kidding. We have to go do something,'” Savannah, 52, shared. “One of these days, we will!”

On Monday, July 22, Hoda opened up on-air about traveling to Paris without Haley, 7, and Hope, 4. She revealed some special ways to feel connected to her girls while she is 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,” the Hope Is a Rainbow author said on Today.

On Thursday, Hoda showed the view from her Paris hotel room, signaling that the Today crew had touched down in the city ahead of the opening ceremony on Friday, July 26. Later on in the day, Hoda got all dressed up to attend a kickoff event with Willie Geist and Snoop Dogg, one of the designated torch bearers in the opening ceremony.

It’s rumored that Céline Dion, whom Hoda recently interviewed, is set to make her return to the stage during the opening ceremony. The singer took a break from performing amid her battle with stiff person syndrome.

During a July 9 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Hoda revealed that a member of Céline’s team hinted that a big performance was coming.

“Her manager was off-camera, and I go, ‘So what’s going on? When are you performing again?’ And she goes, ‘Can I tell her?’ And her manager goes, ‘No!’ He screams, ‘No.’ I was like, there’s something,” Hoda recalled.

While Andy Cohen seemed unsure if Céline would make her comeback at the Olympics, Hoda remained persistent in her theory, saying it would be “spectacular.”

“She’s gonna perform again, and there’s always gonna be a date and time to perform,” she explained. “I think she says she’s got a better medical regimen, medicine that she takes.”