Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager Are Recording a Second Christmas Song, Penned by Meghan Trainor

Mar. 15, 2025

From Left: Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager and Meghan Trainor in February 2020.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Hoda KotbandJenna Bush Hagerare out to prove they’re not one-hit wonders!

TheToday with Hoda and Jennaco-hosts surprised audiences last year when they dropped “A Carefree Christmas,” their first-ever holiday song. Recorded withCheryl Porter, the song became a staple on the NBC morning show, and even landed on the iTunes charts. So it shouldn’t come as a shock that they’re here to do it again.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Kotb , 60, dropped the news that she and Bush Hager, 42, were going back into the recording studio. “We actually are at work on our second Christmas song,” she toldSavannah Guthrie,Sheinelle JonesandDylan Dreyerduring the 8 a.m. hour of theTodayshow. “We’re going to have another song. We’re going to drop our second single.”

From Left: Hoda Kotb, Cheryl Porter and Jenna Bush Hager sing “A Carefree Christmas” in December 2023.John Lamparski/Getty Images

John Lamparski/Getty Images

Later, onToday with Hoda and Jenna, Bush Hager ribbed Kotb for “dropping a secret of ours,” adding that she felt “deceived.”

“You and I have been developing something. We don’t know [if it’s coming out]. We’ve been working on it in the studio and trying to formulate it,” she went on. “Do we have something or do we not?”

But Kotb stood her ground, explaining that she was inspired to reveal the news after hearingJustin TimberlakeandJimmy Fallon’s new holiday tune. “I did not like to hear about other people having a Christmas song and I wanted them to know that we too were working on one,” she said. “I couldn’t help it. Sorry!”

“A Carefree Christmas” was born out of a collaboration Porter, a trained opera singer with more than 20 years of experience, per herofficial website.

After premiering the music video for the song in November 2023, Kotb and Bush Hager praised Porter for helping them harmonize. “We love Cheryl so much. Without Cheryl, our song would sound a lot worse. Not only did she help us, but she sang a lot of it,” Bush Hager duringtheTodaysegment, which aired on Nov. 29.

“Cheryl is a person who can teach anyone to sing,” Kotb said on Nov. 25, when the song was first announced. “She has her own technique. She’s amazing. She is like joy personified. She ran us through the paces, had us try to learn.”

The three later came together for a live performance of “A Carefree Christmas” on Dec. 6, 2023.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Today with Hoda and Jennaairs weekdays at 10 a.m. ET on NBC.

source: people.com