As Hoda Kotb has co-anchored TODAY over the years, she does so while wearing a special piece of jewelry: her beloved “M” necklace.
Hoda’s “M” has become a familiar sight to TODAY viewers, who may have thought about its significance while Hoda shared in September 2024 that she was leaving TODAY in part to spend more time with her daughters, Haley Joy, 7, and Hope, 4.
“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” said Hoda. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.
Back in January 2022, Hoda opened up about why she held the charm so close to her heart during a discussion with her TODAY with Hoda and Jenna co-star Jenna Bush Hager.
“‘M’ stands for Mom,” said Hoda, who then pulled out the charm and two others she frequently wears.
“I have ‘Haley’ and ‘Hope’ on (one of them). Then I have an ‘I love you Mama’ on this one,” she explained. “All of them are my girls.”
Jenna, who was touched by the sentiment, asked Hoda, “Do you feel like ‘Mom’ is the best title?” And Hoda agreed instantly.
“The ‘M’ is so me. That would be the initial I would want to wear if not my kids’ initials,” Hoda added. “Because who knew that I was gonna get to wear that initial?”
Hoda adopted her first daughter, Haley, with her former fiancé, Joel Schiffmann, in 2017. The pair later adopted daughter Hope in 2019.
In 2021, Hoda announced that her journey to adopt a third child was in a holding pattern because of COVID-19-related delays.
While discussing the special meaning behind their favorite piece of jewelry, Jenna shared the story of how she got the green compass necklace she regularly wears on TODAY.
“Henry gave that to me,” Jenna said, in reference to her husband, Henry Hager.
“It’s a compass, and he just said, ‘Always keep your North Star straight.'”
