Happy belated birthday to Hoda Kotb, who celebrated her 60th birthday on August 9. A few days after the big birthday, Kotb and her co-host Jenna Bush Hager were on the air when Hager presented Kotb with a big gift from George W. Bush.
On the Today Show, Hager presented Kotb with a gift from her father: a painting he had made of Kotb’s favorite picture with their daughters Hope and Haley.
The couple was already in tears over the sweet celebration they had on air, which also featured appearances from Sandra Bullock and Kotb’s best friends.
Hager presented her with the gift and said, “I had my father, who started painting, paint your favorite photo.” It was a really beautiful photo of Kotb walking with her daughters, and it was signed “43,” which is a knot of Bush, the 43rd President of the United States.
Isn’t that so valuable? And who knew Bush painted?! Well, actually, a lot of people. Bush painted on and off throughout his life, focusing primarily on portraits. According to the Bush Center, he did portraits for immigrants, veterans, and more. And now Kotb has a very sweet keepsake of him!
For those who don’t know, in 2017 the Hoda The author revealed that she and her ex-partner Joel Schiffman adopted a daughter named Haley, who is now 7 years old. They later adopted another little girl named Hope, who is now 4 years old.
In a previous chat on the Today Show, Kotb talked about the wonderful side of life as an older mother. She said, “I see all the good sides of life as an older mother. I’m comfortable in my own skin, I know who I am, I have a lot more patience and love and all that stuff.”
First, check out these celebrities who have spoken about the joys and challenges of being a parent in old age.