Carson Daly paid tribute to his late mom, Pattie Daly Caruso, in an extra special way this holiday season.
On Dec. 22, the TODAY co-host showed off his new tattoo in honor of his beloved mother. The photo, shared on Instagram, is a side-by-side of a handwritten note his mom gave him on his birthday on June 22, 2004, and that same message tattooed on his wrist.
"Carson, ILYTWWF. Always, mom," the note reads.
Carson explained that he's been waiting forever to get this tattoo, before explaining the significance of the message.
"I always loved my mom’s handwriting. When I was a kid she’d write notes on my school lunch napkins & end it with 'ILYTWWF' (I Love You The Whole World Full) then on every card or note I ever got since," he wrote. "It was extra special to get this done at Christmas which she LOVED."
Carson continued by sharing that because of his mother’s love for Christmas, “to this day I have never ‘X’ abbreviated ‘Christmas’ because she refused to cross out the Christ. ‘He’s the reason for the season!’”
“I miss her something fierce, but so grateful for all the incredible memories. Merry Christmas all!” he concluded, before adding, “I also love it’s below my dad’s homage to whisky! lol.”
Carson’s TODAY family reacted to his new ink in the comments section.
“This is the sweetest thing I have seen. What a memory,” Al Roker wrote.
Jenna Bush Hager added, “This is amazing.”
Sheinelle Jones commented, “love love love” and added three red heart emoji, while Bobbie Thomas wrote, “Adore you, and the heart inside you she grew ❤️ thank you for sharing xoxo.”
Caruso died on Sept. 17, 2017 at age 73 of a heart attack. Over the years, "The Voice" host has remembered his mother in many ways, including sharing a "goodbye" letter she had written in 1998 when she was battling breast cancer.
In 2021, he also shared their final text message exchange on the anniversary of her death.
Carson also has tattoos in honor of his late dad and late stepfather. Carson’s biological father, James Daly, died of cancer when he was 5 years old. Daly was a Corvette dealer and Carson’s tattoo is designed after a hood ornament of a 1977 Corvette he left him. It includes a cross and two flags with the initial J.D.
“I wanted a nice memento to my father without it being too somber,” he told TODAY.com in 2014.
Just five weeks after Carson's mom died, his stepfather, Richard Caruso, died after battling bone cancer. In his honor, Carson has a tattoo of the logo for Cutty Sark whiskey (part of it is seen in his latest photo showing off his tattoo for his mom).
Cutty Sark was his stepdad’s favorite drink, he previously shared. “His nickname is Curly, so I changed it from Cutty Sark to Curly Sark. And instead of ‘Original Scotts Whisky,’ I wrote ‘Original Pops Whisky,’” Carson told TODAY.com. “So it’s an homage to my step dad who is like my father. I essentially have had two fathers.”