#Hoda says she sent daughter ‘secret signal’ during parade

Even from a distance, NBC’s “Today” host Hoda Kotb made sure her 3-year-old daughter Haley felt the warmth of her love on Thanksgiving.

In the hours after glowing as the master of ceremonies for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — alongside “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie — Kotb, 56, took to Instagram to reveal she sent Haley a “secret signal” during the live broadcast to tell the toddler “I love you.”

“Told Haley I would give her a secret signal from parade to say I love you! tug on my ear a la @carolburnett,” Kotb wrote, captioning a clip of the heartwarming moment.

In the video, Kotb’s fiancé, Joel Schiffman, hugs Haley and says, “See? That was for you,” as the smiling tot giggles at her televised shout-out.

Kotb noted her 1-year-old daughter, Hope, slept through the parade.

Echoing her parade co-host’s love for family, Guthrie updated her Instagram with a gallery of sweet shots featuring her kids, Vale, 6, and Charlie, 3, and husband Michael Feldman, simply titling the post “Thankful.”

While the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — which in 2019 beckoned a staggering 3.5 million spectators to New York City sidewalks for cherished sightings of Charlie Brown, SpongeBob SquarePants and, of course, Santa Claus— saw a major dip in live audience members this year due to COVID-19, many of the millions who enjoyed the festivities from the safety of their homes, much like little Haley, loved the show.