Hoda Kotb.Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC
Hoda Kotbhad a busy morning on Wednesday.
The broadcaster kicked off the 7 a.m. ET hour of theTodayshow co-anchoring the news besideSavannah Guthrie. But just before 7:25 a.m., she ducked out of the show to take daughters Hope Catherine, 4, and Haley Joy, 6, to their first day of school.
“Hoda, you’re on the run — it’s the first day of school,” Guthrie, 51, told Kotb after the two finished reading a tease of stories to come.
“I’m taking my kids to school!” Kotb said, seemingly asking producers, “Okay, can I leave right now?”
“Yes give them a hug for us,” said Guthrie, as Kotb frantically left her chair and told fellowTodaystarsCraig MelvinandAl Roker, “Byeee! See ya later!”
Cheered Guthrie as Kotb left the set, “Go get ‘em, girls!”
Kotb is expected to be back in time on air for the 10 a.m. ET airing ofToday with Hoda and Jenna, which she co-hosts withJenna Bush Hager. In her absence, Melvin stepped into theTodayco-anchor chair alongside Guthrie.
Hoda Kotb and her daughters in their New York City abode.Hoda Kotb Instagram
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“Happy first day of school! Xo,” wrote Kotb in her caption.
She had been preparing for the milestone the night before, sharing photos of her girls getting at-home haircuts from hairstylistLaura Bonanni Castorino, a department head at theTodayshow.
“Thank you to my pal @lbcastorino!” wrote Kotb. “The best back to school cuts! First day of school tomorrow! 📚 🎒.”
Tuesday marked Kotb’s return toTodayafter an end-of-summer vacation to Mexico.
Discussing the getaway onToday with Hoda & Jenna, Kotb gushed to Bush Hager, 41, about the restorative time away.
“I had a great trip with my kids,” Kotb said. “Took them with my sister, we just went to Mexico for fun.”
“And let me tell you something, it was magical. It was one of those vacations you take and you say to yourself, ‘If they can all be like this…’ — and this doesn’t happen, we have our fair share of meltdowns.”
“Everybody was happy, everybody was healthy, everybody was — it was one of those that you just said, ‘Thank you.’ We’re all here, we all feel good,” Kotb concluded.
Todayairs weekdays (beginning at 7 a.m. ET) on NBC.
source: people.com
