CONFIRMED: Hoda Kotb makes ‘OFFICIAL’ family decision after Today show exit

Hoda Kotb introduced a new family member to her daughters(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Hoda Kotb surprised her little ones with a new family member.

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The former TODAY show host posted a video and a carousel of pictures on her Instagram on Thursday, July 10, with her two daughters – Haley, 8, and Hope, 6 – and their new fluffy bundle of joy, a golden puppy. She captioned the post, “The newest addition to the Joy 101 crew. Meet Waffles.”

A video showed a lady handing Waffles to Hoda and her two girls, who were smiling from ear to ear, while wearing bathing suits. The friend was heard asking, “What do you think?” Someone is also heard saying, “Here, take her. She’s yours, she’s yours. Oh my God.”

Hoda was heard hilariously asking, “Do you think she needs to pee?”

Haley and Hope met Waffles(Image: hodakotb/Instagram)
Pictures then show the new puppy with Hoda’s daughters, as well as the former TODAY show, which shows all smiles as Waffles is up in two paws.

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Her Instagram followers also shared their excitement and welcomed Waffles.

One person commented, “I love the name! What a beautiful pup! What a sweet face! Congratulations. I’m so happy for your girls!” Another person commented, “Dogs are WONDERFUL! Unconditional love.”

A third person wrote under the post, “Lucky Waffles! The definition of JOY is definitely a new puppy! Waffles is so sweet!” A fourth wrote, “Love the name! Cherish the joy. love you Hoda!”

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Hoda’s new family member comes after signing off for the last time on the TODAY show on January 10. Hoda announced that she was planning to leave the daytime show on Thursday, September 26.

Hoda posted multiple pictures and a video(Image: hodakotb/Instagram)
She told viewers: “I just turned 60 and it was such a monumental moment for me because I started to think about that decade like what does that decade mean, what does it hold, what does it have for me and I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new.”

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Honda decided to leave the daytime show to focus on her two daughters. She adopted Haley in 2017 and Hope in 2019 with her ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman. She admitted that she had kids “late in life, and they deserve a bigger piece of my time.”

She said, “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”

Hoda also admitted that exiting the show was “the hardest thing in the world,” while trying to hold in her tears as she was surrounded by her fellow colleagues. She was part of the TODAY show for 17 years.