Carson Daly Gets Surprised by His Irish Family During ‘Today’ Ireland Episode

Paige Strout October 16, 2026, 10:37 am

Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly, 'Today,' NBC, October 16, 2026. — NBC

What To Know

NBC’s Today aired all four hours live from Ireland on Friday, October 16.
Carson Daly worked with an expert to trace his Irish family’s history.
Savannah Guthrie also surprised Carson with his fellow Dalys, including one of his actual biological cousins.

Carson Daly shared a sweet moment with Irish locals on the Friday, October 16, episode of Today.

The hosts of the NBC morning show aired all four hours live from County Kerry on Friday for special episodes sponsored by Tourism Ireland. “I am Irish on both my mom and my dad’s side[s],” Daly told viewers. “I love a good Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day like the next guy. And I have to say, I brought my mom here, God rest her soul. We went and saw Bono and Edge at Slane Castle. We watched U2 play. My mom was with me. One of the greatest trips we ever had, so it’s great to be back in Ireland.”

Carson went on to recall that his father, James Daly, died when he was young, leaving “a lot of holes in the Daly heritage lineage.” With the help of his sister, Quinn Daly, he set out to find “exactly where we’re from and why millions of others feel a very similar call to here in the Emerald Isle.”

In a prerecorded video package, Carson worked with Fiona Fitzsimons, the director of the Irish Family History Center, to trace his family history. “While genealogy sites like Ancestry.com or 23andMe use DNA, Fiona and her team at the Family History Center fuel their research by scouring birth, marriage, and immigration records going back generations,” he explained via voiceover.

According to Fitzsimons, Daly is “among the top 15 Irish names.” Fitzsimons also traced Carson’s family back to the early 1800s, revealing that his coal-mining family survived the Irish Potato Famine.

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“Wow. That’s just blowing my mind, Fiona,” Carson remarked. “You’re basically saying that my family was able to survive, obviously, one of the most devastating things that’s ever happened to the country because they had the skillset of a trade? I tell my kids who are going to college all the time, I’m always reminding them of the trades.”

After the package, Savannah Guthrie surprised Carson with some special audience members. “These folks behind us, you thought they were just people from the town,” she said. “They are not just any County Kerry residents. We have gathered some of your local quote, unquote, Irish cousins. These are all Dalys.”

The group unveiled a sign which read, “We’re the Dalys! Welcome Home, Cousin Carson!” Carson hugged his relatives, including Irish Senator Mark Daly, who gifted Carson an Irish flag that was “flown from the building where the first Irish flag was flown back in 1848.”

Carson Daly with his cousin Lorraine, 'Today,' NBC, October 16, 2026.

NBC

Guthrie also introduced Carson to his distant biological cousin, Lorraine, on his paternal grandfather’s side. The pair caught up on the third hour of Today, as Daly stated, “I’m just sitting here, chatting with my genetic, distant cousin, Lorraine. We found you through my sister Quinn. [She] did one of the DNA tests, and we got linked through that. And now, I owe you 53 years of Christmas cards.”

Carson noted that the two share a connection to music: He has hosted shows like Total Request Live and The Voice, and one of Lorraine’s sons is an opera singer.

“It’s so good to have you here,” Carson gushed. “Thank you for making the trip.”

Today, Weekdays, 7 am/6c, NBC