Al Roker Raves About Daughter Leila Working in Tokyo for the Olympics: 'She's Always Wanted to Do This'

Photo: Leila Roker / Instagram

Many of Al Roker’s colleagues are away from their loved ones while covering the Tokyo Olympics for NBC. But as hisTodayco-hostHoda Kotbjokes to PEOPLE, “Al’s had the easiest communication with his kids.”

“My middle girl, Leila, is a production runner for the primetime show on Peacock, and she’s always wanted to do this,” the father of three, 66, says about his 22-year-old daughter, who graduated from the American University of Paris in May.

“Those are some of my fondest memories, bringing my kids to the Olympics and my wife Debra would come,” he recalls. “We would have great times. So for the kids, it’s really kind of special for them to see this.”

Roker is also excited for hisTodayco-hosts to bring their young children to future Olympic-related work trips. “They’re going to have the joy of, for the next Olympics, all their kids will be old enough to come,” he says glancing at Kotb,Savannah Guthrieand Craig Melvin.

Kotb is a mom of two daughters, 4-year-old Haley and 2-year-old Hope, while Guthrie is mom to daughter Vale, 6, and 4-year-old son Charlie. And Melvin is a dad to son Delano, 7, and 4-year-old Sybil.

Kotb, Guthrie and Melvin tell PEOPLE that while on the ground in Tokyo, they’ve been keeping in touch with their kids back in the States and taking souvenir requests.

“My daughter has asked for anything besides a T-shirt or sandals. She’s 4,” Melvin says. “She was very specific about that.”

Luckily, for Guthrie, she only has a few “more sleeps” before she’s reunited with her kids and husband Michael Feldman.

To learn more about Team USA, visitTeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.

source: people.com