On Carson Daly’s 50th birthday, Savannah Guthrie gave him a mantra to practice.
“Say it with me: 50 is not old,” the TODAY co-anchor shared in honor of Daly’s milestone birthday. “Repeat three times then never think of it again.”
Guthrie also included what helps her feel good about her aging — being able to grow older.
“If I ever find myself feeling distressed about being in my 50s, I try to remind myself how lucky I am to be here. My dad died at 49. Fifty is a number he would have wished to see,” she says. “Carson lost his father young, too. I know he knows this instinctively.”
Daly recently honored his father and stepfather for Father’s Day. When he was just 5, his dad Jim, “J.D.” Daly, died from bladder cancer. His stepfather, Richard Caruso, died in 2017 of bone cancer.
“I think about them both every day,” Daly told TODAY.com.
He’s taking his birthday in stride — for the most part. When he received his AARP card, he had a moment.
“I gotta big bday next month & SH*T JUST GOT REAL” he shared on Instagram.
But he told TODAY.com he's more comfortable with who he is now than when he was younger.
“I feel better now than I did in my 20s,” he said. “There’s so much self-acceptance that comes with age.”
Daly revealed he has a necklace that says “memento mori" — Latin for “remember you will die" — and this keeps him centered.
“It’s a daily reminder that today is so important,” he told TODAY.com. “I’m not pondering being on my deathbed. I’m just extremely cognizant of the importance of now. I wake up and I thank God that I have another day.”
On the show, wife Siri Daly, cooked his favorite meal and his youngest children surprised him with a visit.
“I owe America an apology. People who watched me on MTV and TRL growing up and waking up with 'Carson Daly's 50,' oh my God,” he joked on the show. “I’m getting so old.”
Guthrie chimed in: “Fifty is young says all the 50-year-olds like me.”
Kelly Clarkson led a rendition of “Happy Birthday” in his honor, noting she was surprised he was 50. Daly felt touched by the song and the surprise visit from his children.
“I love you guys,” he says. “I love my work family. I love my family, family. I appreciate it.”