This morning’s episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna began with an especially high level of energy and excitement, in part because Al Roker was lurking behind the scenes to cheer on the hosts as they took the stage. But instead of cheering for Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, Roker was chanting, “Heather! Heather!” because comedian Heather McMahan was filling in for Bush Hager today.
As Kotb took her seat, she explained, “Jenna is enjoying a day at her daughter’s moving up ceremony at school — not a graduation — Heather McMahan is here!”
While that seems like a simple enough explanation, McMahan had some questions.
“Hi everybody, how are ya!?” McMahan greeted the crew, before turning to Kotb and asking, “A moving up ceremony?”
“That’s what it’s called,” Kotb said, explaining, “They don’t call it a graduation. What grade, she’s going from like, I don’t remember, fifth? Fourth to fifth? Fifth to sixth?”
“There’s too many graduations going on,” McMahan said. “I’ve been invited to…my friend’s daughter, Amber, she’s like, oh, it’s a first grade graduation, I said, ‘We didn’t think she was gonna make it to second?’ I thought we had like kindergarten, fifth grade, junior high, high school… now it’s like, a second grade graduation. What are we doing?”
“Did you have to go and buy a present?” Kotb asked McMahan.
“Apparently!” McMahan responded. “Yeah, I gotta tap into that college fund for these kids. You just want to shake me down for cash.”
Bush Hager is expected to return to Today on Friday, presumably as the proud mama of a rising fifth, or maybe sixth, grader.