Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager want to prove they’re not one-hit wonders!
The Today with Hoda and Jenna co-hosts surprised audiences last year when they dropped “A Carefree Christmas,” their first holiday song. Recorded with Cheryl Porter, the song became a staple on NBC’s morning show and even made it onto the iTunes charts. So it should come as no shock that they’re here to do it again.
On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Kotb, 60, announced the news that she and Bush Hager, 42, were returning to the studio to record. “We’re actually working on our second Christmas song,” Savannah Guthrie, Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer told 8 a.m. on Today show. “We’ll have another song. We’re going to drop our second single.”
She then revealed that the song was written by Grammy winner Meghan Trainor, who also wrote Today with Hoda and Jennalatest theme song. “We’re considerin’ it,” Kotb teased about the song.
Hoda Kotb & Jenna Bush Hager Debut Holiday Single ‘A Carefree Christmas’ — and Hope It Charts
From left: Hoda Kotb, Cheryl Porter and Jenna Bush Hager sing “A Carefree Christmas” in December 2023.
John Lamparski/Getty Images
Later, further Today with Hoda and JennaBush Hager blasted Kotb for “giving away our secret,” adding that she felt “betrayed.”
“You and I were developing something. We don’t know [if it’s coming out]. We’ve been working on it in the studio trying to formulate it,” she continued. “Do we have something or don’t we?”
But Kotb stood her ground, explaining that she was inspired to break the news after hearing Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon’s new holiday song. “I didn’t like hearing that other people had a Christmas song and I wanted them to know we were working on one,” she said. “I couldn’t help it. I’m sorry!”
Jenna Bush Hager FaceTimes Dad George W. Bush Live on Today to get feedback on her new holiday song
“A Carefree Christmas” is a collaboration between Porter, a trained opera singer with more than 20 years of experience, according to her official website.
After the music video for the song premiered in November 2023, Kotb and Bush Hager praised Porter for helping them harmonize. “We love Cheryl so much. Without Cheryl, our song would sound a lot worse. Not only did she help us, but she sang a lot,” Bush Hager during Today segment, which aired on November 29.
“Cheryl is a person who can teach anyone to sing,” Kotb said on Nov. 25, when the song was first announced. “She has her own technique. She’s amazing. She’s like joy personified. She ran us through the paces, made us try to learn.”
The three later reunited for a live performance of “A Carefree Christmas” on December 6, 2023.
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Today with Hoda and Jenna airs weekdays at 10 a.m. ET on NBC.
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Source: HIS Education