Team USA may not have been able to bring their own parents to the Olympic games in Tokyo this year due to pandemic protocols, but they had a pretty good fill-in.
TODAY co-anchor Hoda Kotb was every U.S. Olympian's mom as she cheered in Japan.
Hoda has two daughters of her own, Hayley Joy and Hope, so was prepared to go Full Mom in Tokyo. Here are five times Hoda was the ultimate team mom:
1. After Simone Biles withdrew from the team competition early on in the games, Hoda shared a message of support for the legendary gymnast and her teammates
“Turn it out for Simone,” Hoda yelled from the stands toward the team at Tokyo’s Ariake Gymnastics Centre before blowing kisses to the team. "Love you Suni and Jordan and Grace, too."
2. In a now-viral clip of Hoda during Suni Lee's floor routine, the TODAY co-anchor can be seen holding on to the railing with a tight grip. As Lee approached her final run, Hoda began stamping her foot, then she suddenly let go of the railing and leaned forward, backward and forward again — as if she had to nail the routine herself — before finally pumping her fist in the air and applauding with excitement. Perfect 10 for emoting from the stands.
3. Hoda shared another heartwarming moment with Lee before she won the Olympic gold medal in the women's all-around competition.
"I looked up at her and she held up a heart and then I held up a heart and then I started feeling like it was my kid," Hoda said.
Hoda's mom moment didn't go unnoticed by the Gold medal Olympian.
"It was nice, she was kind of being my mom for a second," Lee said of the shared moment after returning to the U.S. and reuniting with her parents, John Lee and Yeev Thoj, on the TODAY plaza.
4. While waiting for gymnast Jade Carey's score, Hoda rocked back and forth anxiously from the stands alongside TODAY producer Matt Greenfield.
When 21-year-old Carey's score was announced — enough to clinch gold for Team USA — Hoda yelled, "Yes!" with a victorious fist pump.
5. When Simone Biles competed in the women's gymnastics beam final after withdrawing from all other Olympic events, Hoda brought both her enthusiasm and a little piece of good luck.
"So this is what I was waving," Hoda explained, revealing the star spangled dress to the U.S. women's gymnastics team. "This is my daughter's dress. She put it in my luggage for good luck, so I took it to the meet and I just started twirling it around and it gave me good luck for all of you."
