Covering the Olympics isn’t without its challenges. In an interview with ET, Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie revealed that being away from their loved ones is the hardest part of their time in Paris covering the 2024 Olympic Games.
“It’s so, so much fun. It’s so beautiful. It’s so exciting that, of course, you wish that your kids were here. You wish that your spouse was here,” Guthrie, who shares Vale, 9, and Charley, 7, with her husband, Mike Feldman, said. “But honestly, we are working. When they get a little bit older and… have a little more independence, we would love to bring our kids to the Olympics… We miss them.”
Kotb, who’s mom to Haley, 7, and Hope, 4, agreed, but noted that she’s learned a valuable lesson in her time away.
“It’s also teaching us that kids are fine when we are away for a few days. They are perfectly fine,” she said. “We’ve been FaceTiming our kids and communicating with them. Sometimes we feel like we have to be there all the time and [then] we realize they’re growing, they’re thriving, they’re excited. We can’t wait to get home and see them.”
The Games got off to an iconic start when Celine Dion closed out the Opening Ceremony with an impressive, comeback performance.
“We were just a puddle on the floor. That wasn’t the rain. Those were our tears. It was just so beautiful,” Guthrie said, with Kotb adding, “When we heard that first note, we were like, ‘It’s actually happening.’ We were in the downpouring rain… It was beautiful.”
That night, the A-list Olympic sightings began in a big way when the Today co-hosts had a rain-soaked encounter with Tom Cruise.
“That was pretty epic. It was in the downpouring rain and he was soaking wet, which was kinda fun,” Kotb said, before reflecting on all the other stars at the global event.
“We’ve been to plenty of Olympics. I don’t think we’ve ever been to an Olympics with this many celebrities,” she said. “… Every time you turn around it’s like, ‘Oh, there’s Lady Gaga. Oh, there’s Anna Wintour’… There’s a million people who are here. It’s kinda cool. What I love about the celebs too is they understand it’s actually not about them and they know it. They’re there as fans… like us.”
One celeb who’s made his fandom known is Snoop Dogg, who’s been working as a commentator at the Games.
“He’s just been so amazing and enthusiastic and genuine,” Guthrie said. “He doesn’t make it about him. It’s all about the athletes.”
“He’s in love with his athletes and he’s in love with the sports. He really is,” Kotb agreed. “It’s not about Snoop being there. When he’s dancing with the girls from gymnastics, he’s loosening them up. You can actually feel it. He’s doing that.”
Kotb continued, “It’s not like, ‘Look at me! I’m Snoop. I’m in the stands.’ He’s always about the others or he’s about the parents. I would’ve never guessed that in one million years [that] he’s the perfect commentator for the Olympics.”
Thus far, the highlight sporting event for the women was the team finals in women’s artistic gymnastics, during which Simone Biles and the rest of Team USA secured the gold medal.
“We had the best time yesterday. We were ready. We had our flag. We [knew] everything was gonna work out and it just did,” Kotb said. “If you were gonna script the perfect night that was the script. Those girls came out, they were ready and they won gold and they won by a mile. I think seeing them as close as we were made it extra extraordinary.”
“I was squeezing her hand so hard. There was possible bruising,” Guthrie quipped of Kotb. “It was incredible. The gymnasts, by the way, they hear Hoda’s whistle [and] they look up. They’re sending hearts to her. It’s just so fun to watch. They were incredible.”
Watch the video below for more on the 2024 Olympic Games.
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