Morning TV is usually all smiles and celebrity news — but on a recent episode of NBC’s Today, things got unexpectedly personal for Carson Daly. His co-host Jenna Bush Hager decided to have a little fun at Daly’s expense, reminding him (and millions of viewers watching at home) that before he was a married father of four and a beloved TV personality… he was once one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors.

It all unfolded on Thursday, May 1, during a segment about a viral TikTok challenge called “I’m so hungry, I could eat…” The game ends with the speaker naming a person the other player would never expect — usually someone from their past.

Bush Hager, clearly in a mischievous mood, seized the perfect opportunity.

“I’m so hungry I could eat… a Jennifer Love Hewitt,” she announced with a sly smile.

The studio erupted.

Carson Daly — not expecting to hear the name of his ex-girlfriend on live television — froze before stammering, “Right, wait… what?”

Savannah Guthrie, thrilled to join the fun, jumped in: “Thank you for doing what I was about to do.”

Daly groaned and jokingly asked to be moved to a different seat, calling the entire game “ridiculous.” But the teasing wasn’t over yet.

Before his career at NBC, Carson Daly was MTV royalty — hosting Total Request Live and hanging out with some of the biggest young stars of the late ’90s and early 2000s. During that time, he briefly dated actress Jennifer Love Hewitt, who was then fresh off the success of I Know What You Did Last Summer. Their relationship became a tabloid favorite in 1998.

Then came actress Tara Reid. The pair began dating around 2000 and were even engaged for a time before calling it quits in 2001. Their whirlwind romance played out at the height of Reid’s fame, thanks to roles in films like American Pie and Josie and the Pussycats.

These were years of Hollywood red carpets, club appearances, paparazzi flashes — a life far removed from the early-morning coffee cups and parent-friendly broadcast style of Today.

And Bush Hager didn’t hesitate to bring up both of these famous names.

Savannah Guthrie leaned forward and asked with a grin, “What’s the other one?” prompting Bush Hager to cheerfully exclaim: “Tara Reid!”

Daly doubled over laughing and cringing all at once. “Oh my gosh, you didn’t,” he sighed — right before backing away from his co-hosts to close out the show.

Bush Hager beamed. “We did!”

Carson Daly can laugh about his past now — but that era is far behind him. Daly married Siri Pinter — a food blogger and producer — in 2015, and the couple has built a happy life with their four children: Jackson, Etta, London, and Goldie.

Daly has never been shy about prioritizing family above everything else, once saying:
“I could have all the jobs in the world, but none are more important to me than Dad.”

So in many ways, his co-hosts’ teasing is proof of just how far he’s come — from MTV’s resident bachelor to Today’s resident family man.

The laughter didn’t stop when the cameras did. Today later shared a behind-the-scenes clip on Instagram, where Bush Hager and Guthrie celebrated the prank, calling it “an amazing moment for us and for the show.”

Bush Hager admitted she would give Guthrie “some credit” for encouraging the joke, while Guthrie praised her co-host for going all in:

“Bringing up Carson’s old girlfriends — and, in some cases, fiancées — was the work of a true queen,” Guthrie laughed, offering Bush Hager a high-five.

Carson Daly and Jenna Bush Hager have a long history of playful rivalry on the show. Just days earlier, the pair participated in a revived version of the Ice Bucket Challenge — originally created to raise awareness and funds for ALS research. The challenge returned through a student-led TikTok trend, and Daly was more than ready to get even.

Bush Hager yelped as icy water poured over her head. “I was told they weren’t going to do too much water!” she gasped.

Later, she got the ultimate revenge by dousing both Daly and Guthrie during an outdoor broadcast segment. Needless to say, no one stays dry — or safe from jokes — for long on this morning show.

The teasing over Daly’s exes was all light-hearted — a moment that perfectly illustrated the chemistry and camaraderie among the Today team. Fans love the anchors not only for their professionalism, but for their ability to poke fun, get real, and occasionally embarrass each other on live television.

Carson Daly, always a good sport, took the ribbing in stride — even as he jokingly begged for a new seat and hid from the camera. After all, when your co-hosts are Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie, no embarrassing story is ever truly off-limits.