Watch Hoda Kotb Send Secret Signals to Her Daughters During Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The parade host made sure her daughters, Hope and Haley, knew they were on her mind

Hoda Kotb let her girls know she was thinking of them while working on Thanksgiving.

Kotb, 56, made a subtle gesture to her daughters Hope, 4, and Haley, 6, during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast to let them know they were on her mind.

Kotb discussed the tradition on Wednesday's episode of Today, explaining, "Every year, I do a signal for my kids so that they know that Momma is looking at them."

"So what do you normally do for your kids?" co-host Jenna Bush Hager asked. Kotb replied, "Haley and Hope think I should do, I should blow a kiss."

Turning to the older of the two girls, who stood stage-side, Bush Hager, 41, asked, "But Haley, what has she normally done?"

"She pulls her ear," Haley shared.

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Related: Hoda Kotb's Daughters Hope and Haley Share 'Yuck or Yum' Opinions on Today Ahead of Thanksgiving

Joking about how she and Bush Hager signal to each other before going on air to indicate someone has lipstick on their teeth, Kotb said this year she would pretend to wipe lipstick from her teeth and have that be the signal to her girls.

"I told her that might be too dramatic but I'm into it," Bush Hager said with a laugh, noting that viewers will now be looking out for it.

After a "triple dog dare" from her co-host, Kotb could be seen during the parade, slipping in both the ear tug and the tooth wipe as she covered the special event.

Speaking in 2020 about the sweet tradition of signaling to her kids, Kotb said the ear pull was inspired by Carol Burnett.

At the time, Kotb shared a video of Haley reacting to the moment on TV when she was giggling at her mom's signal as her dad, Joel Schiffman, gave her a kiss on the cheek.

This year, Kotb's co-host Savannah Guthrie was joined by her two kids — son Charley, 6, and daughter Vale, 9 — for the parade broadcast for their first time.

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