Carson Daly is still dealing with the tragic loss of his parents in 2017.
Carson Daly is still dealing with the tragic loss of his parents in 2017.
The 45-year-old Today co-host had an emotional moment with co-anchor Hoda Kotb on the NBC morning show on Wednesday, when they discussed New Year's resolutions. Daly noted that the death of his mother, Pattie, and his stepfather, Richard Caruso, just five weeks apart has changed his way of seeing things.
“I don’t want to get morbid, but you know I lost my parents a year and a half ago, so in the new year, I think more macro now,” Daly said. “I think bigger than just, like, the weight, the food -- all that stuff is every day, we all struggle with that, we all do the best we can. My new thing is compartmentalizing.”
Daly said his family is first priority, always. The former Total Request Live host has been married to food blogger Sara Pinter since 2015 and the couple has three kids together -- 9-year-old son Jackson James, 5-year-old daughter Etta Jones and 4-year-old daughter London Rose.
“My thing is just 24 hours,” he explained. “Now I wake up and I’m like, ‘Thank you God, I got a new day, a fresh day. How can I be the best husband, the best father, the best coworker, the best fellow citizen? I got today. I got right now, in this moment.'"
“Losing my folks, the fragility of life … it’s so crazy," he continued. "I can’t believe I’m 45. I can’t believe I’ve been in Time Square for 20 years. I can’t believe I’m on the Today show.”
These days, the television host is focusing on treasuring every moment.
"Life goes by so fast that for me, now, it’s just like, live and marinate in that moment when I’m in a tickle fight," he shared. "And then when I go to bed, it’s just like, ‘You know what? I hope I did good today and if God gives me another day, I’m just gonna do it again.'"
Daly's mother, Pattie -- a television personality in her own right -- died of a heart attack on Sept. 17, 2017, in her at her Palm Desert, California, home. Tragically, just over a month later on Oct. 24. 2017, Daly lost his stepfather, Richard, after previously noting that Richard's health was "in peril."
Later that month, Daly made an emotional return to the Today show after taking a break to grieve his parents.
"It's hard to grasp that considering that they were both healthy in June," he noted. "But the enormity of this, the totality of the loss so soon, is still a struggle."
"I realize the more pain I feel losing my parents is a testament to how much they impacted on my life, and they clearly equipped me with the tools to handle it, because they're incredible parents, and I hope to pass that down," he continued.
Meanwhile, the Today show has yet to announce co-host Kathie Lee Gifford's replacement after she announced she was leaving the fourth hour of the morning show last month. ET spoke to Gifford and Kotb shortly after the news, when Gifford said Kotb was totally in charge when it comes to choosing her replacement. Watch the video below for more:
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