Hoda Kotb's Daughters Hope and Haley Crash Her Interview with Jimmy Fallon: 'Future of the “Today” Show'

Kotb co-parents her two daughters with ex Joel Schiffman

Hoda Kotb had some extra support in the crowd when she joined Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.

On Tuesday, Kotb, 59, and her Today co-host Savannah Guthrie, 52, talked with Fallon, 49, about their respective new books, with the mom of two sharing a sweet story about her daughter Haley's class recently visiting the NBC studio. Sharing a clip of Haley and a friend at Kotb's desk, Fallon praises the 7-year-old's news reading skills.

"Are you kidding me? Come on," Fallon says. "That's the future of the Today show right there. I love it."

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Related: Hoda Kotb Opens Up About Daughter Hope's Health Crisis in Emotional First Interview: 'So Resilient' (Exclusive)

"And they're here tonight! Hope and Haley. Where are they?" the comedian asks, as the camera pans to show the two girls sitting in the audience.

Hope, 4, wears a unicorn sweatshirt and sits next to her sister Haley, who giggles and waves back at Fallon. "Hi Haley, hi Hope!" Fallon says.

"Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed," Kotb replies.

In this week's issue of PEOPLE, Kotb opened up about writing her new book Hope Is a Rainbow for daughter Hope.

“The book was written initially because of who she is. I thought her goodness should be spread around,” said the Today anchor, who had previously written I’ve Loved You Since Forever, which celebrates adoption, in honor of her older daughter Haley.

Hope “is just intuitive and smart, and I’ve never seen someone who’s quite as generous,” Kotb said. “She’s the kid who gives away her last blueberry. If your toy is broken, she’ll give you her new one. She is that person.”

When Kotb first settled on the name Hope, “it defined where I was in my life when I was looking for hope. You’re like, ‘Please let this happen,’ ” she recalled of her second adoption in 2019. “She was the hope that I’d been looking for and wanting. Sometimes you name a child, and then they become the name.”

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