Carson Daly Reveals the Emotional Meaning Behind His New Daughter's Name

Photo credit: Getty / Instagram
Photo credit: Getty / Instagram

From Good Housekeeping

Before he met his current wife Siri Pinter, TV host Carson Daly famously dated high-profile actresses like Jennifer Love Hewitt and Tara Reid. But eventually the former MTV VJ realized he wanted a different kind of partner for the long term. He broke off his first engagement and "dodged a bullet," he told Elle in 2012.

"I realized I'd have more in common with a regular person than with a celebrity," he said. "There were values I was more likely to find in a nice, Midwestern girl than one who was living on the coast, pursuing fame."

Carson found that in Siri, and after more than 13 years together, they're still going strong. Here's the backstory behind their relationship and what makes it so sweet.

They met on the set of Last Call with Carson Daly

After working as a VJ on Total Request Live, Carson started hosting his own late-night talk show on NBC in 2002. Siri started working there in 2005 as a writer's assistant when she hit it off with Carson. Her family also has ties to the TV biz. Her dad is Mark Pinter, a daytime soap opera star who's appeared on Love of Life, Guiding Light, As the World Turns, Loving, and All My Children.

"She would walk into our meetings and I would look at the other dudes in the room, like, 'Do you see what I see?' It was undeniable," Carson told People.

The couple initially kept their workplace romance a secret, sneaking out after work to meet at a nearby dive bar and shoot pool, Carson revealed on Today. Eventually, it became time to go public.

"We realized we were in love and it wasn't just an office romance," he said to Elle.

They got engaged in 2013

After several years of dating, Carson and Siri welcomed two children together: Jackson James Daly, born in 2009, and Etta Jones Daly, born in 2012. But despite their close connection and growing family, the couple didn't feel any rush to head to the altar.

"I think long-lasting, healthy relationships are more important than the idea of marriage," Carson said to Elle. "At the root of every successful marriage is a strong partnership. And that's what we have."

Carson eventually proposed to Siri in the fall of 2013, and the next summer they welcome their third child, London Rose Daly. However, the couple kept fending off wedding rumors.

"Our lives have been crazy," Carson told People. "We’ll get married when we have time. The husband and wife thing is just the bow around something. Our end game is we want to be together forever."

Siri later started her own food blog, Siriously Delicious

After she left Last Call in 2009 to have her son, Siri realized that she missed writing.

"Starting a food blog wasn’t like I was suddenly a foodie, it was more like 'Oh my gosh, I am in this domestic situation — how do people do it?'" she told the Long Island Press. "I started to keep track of meals that were working and meals that weren’t and then writing with humor along the way. A lot of feedback I have had over the years is when people tell me that they don’t cook, but I make them want to try. It’s a great compliment because that is my goal, to make cooking seem approachable and fun."

The success of the blog helped open up other doors along the way. Now Siri regularly contributes to the Today Show and often appears alongside Carson in cooking segments. Last year, she also released her own cookbook, Siriously Delicious: 100 Nutritious (and Not So Nutritious) Simple Recipes for the Real Home Cook.

They had a surprise wedding in 2015

After 10 years together, Carson and Siri tied the knot in a small ceremony on December 23, 2015 — right before Christmas.

"I wanted a hoverboard, I got a wife," Carson joked in an interview with Today. Siri wore a lace J.Crew dress to the church ceremony, and all three children attended. Jackson even walked his mother down the aisle.

"It was great that the kids were a little bit older," Carson explained. "They actually knew what was going on."

Not everyone one knew what was going on. The bride and groom actually surprised their moms (who were both visiting) with the impromptu ceremony!

They're still totally in love

The couple welcomed their fourth child, a daughter named Goldie Patricia Daly, on March 26. And now, Carson says that their family of six (!) feels complete. "I was looking at Irish names on St. Patrick's Day morning and I stumbled on Goldie...and she seems like the pot of gold at the end of our family rainbow," he revealed on Today.

In Goldie's birth announcement on Instagram, the couple reflected on what it was like to welcome a new baby into the world amid the coronavirus crisis:

"We thank God not only for the safe birth of our daughter, but for their tireless work attending to so many in need. It is a bittersweet event for us as we are extremely grateful, but also mindful of this unparalleled time in our history. We appreciate your well wishes and ask that you join us in praying for the many suffering around the world. God Bless you all," they wrote.

Their Today family, however, has all eyes on Goldie (and rightly so):

  • "Dearest Goldie, welcome to planet earth!! We are here to love and adore you," Savannah Guthrie commented.

  • "Welcome to the world beautiful Goldie. You sure lucked out in the parent department. They will love you endlessly and make you laugh. I can’t wait to watch you grow. Some LIGHT out of the darkness," Jenna Bush Hager wrote.

  • "Goldie ... you are perfect❤️," Hoda Kotb commented

What a special time for the Daly family!

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