Hoda Kotb reveals her daughters have ‘NEVER seen a MOVIE’

Hoda Kotb has revealed that her daughters Haley, six, and Hope, three, have ‘never seen a movie’ in a theater or at home. 

The Today star made the surprising admission while chatting with her co-host Jenna Bush Hager about the upcoming live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid on Thursday’s show. 

Bush Hager, 41, was sharing how she ‘can’t wait to take her children — Mila, nine, Poppy, seven, and Hal, three — to see the Disney film when she asked Kotb, 58, if she had ever been to a theater with her girls. 

‘No, and my kids have never seen a movie,’ the mother of two replied. 

Kotb said the COVID-19 pandemic kept her from taking her daughters to the theater, but that didn’t fully explain why they haven’t watched a movie at home

‘Wait, they’ve never seen a movie?’ a shocked Bush Hager asked. 

Kotb said the COVID-19 pandemic kept her from taking her daughters to the theater, but that didn’t fully explain why they haven’t watched a movie at home. 

‘They’ve never seen a movie on television?’ Bush Hager asked.

‘Well, no. Not a full movie. No. They haven’t seen a movie,’ Kotb confirmed, surprising both the audience and an off-camera producer.

‘No judgment, y’all, but you got to take them!’ Bush Hager insisted. ‘I think you should start not with that because then they’re going to think all movies are that. I think you need to see Puss and Boots in the theater.

‘Puss in Boots? Okay,’ responded the Today co-anchor, who seemed open to the movie suggestion. 

Earlier in the week, Kotb opened up about how she is making an effort to slow down when she is spending time with her young daughters. 

‘I’m always rushing people, and I’m rushing my kids,’ she told Bush Hager. ‘From around the time we have dinner to the time they go to bed, everybody’s being rushed.’

‘No judgment, y’all, but you got to take them!’ Kotb’s co-host Bush Hager insisted

Kotb co-parents Haley and Hope with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman

Earlier in the week, Kotb opened up about how she is making an effort to slow down and stop rushing when she is spending time with her young daughters

Kotb, who co-parents her daughters with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, admitted she is also usually in a hurry when she’s giving her daughters a bath. 

‘Haley’s like, “Ow, mom, my hair. Stop you’re pulling me.” I’m dumping [water] on top of her,’ she explained. ‘Hope usually just takes it. She’s like, “Go ahead. Douse me.” So I decided that I was going to slow down. 

The mom said she was giving Haley a bath the other day and made a point to slow down and enjoy the time with her.  

‘I poured water on the back of her head, and I was talking to her,’ she recalled. ‘I said, “How was school?” She said, “It was great. I told everyone in my class that you were 58.” I go, “Oh, okay.” She goes, “My teacher told me it’s not polite to say someone’s age.” 

‘By the way, I laughed because I actually couldn’t care less,’ she noted. ‘And I said, “Oh mom doesn’t care, sweetie.” So I kept doing it, and we were talking, and I didn’t rush. I washed her hair slowly. I go, “Do you mind putting your head back?” She goes, “Okay.” She just didn’t know what was happening.’

When Haley got out of the tub, she let her talk for a few more minutes in the bathroom until she decided she was ready to go.  

‘The bath time took the same time as the nagging bath time,’ Kotb said. ‘I thought to myself, maybe that’s the answer. Slow down everything. Slow down conversations. Slow down moments. Slow down the bath. Slow down dinner. Slow down. Rushing actually makes things last longer. That’s what I learned.’

The story ended up bringing Bush Hager to tears during the morning show’s Valentine’s day episode. 

‘I’m kind of crying because we’re thinking what love is, and that’s love,’ she said. ‘Trying to be better for two little girls who adore you. Love comes in all different forms, and look at you trying to slow things down for your girls.’