Why ‘Today Show’ Star Carson Daly Said He ‘Dodged a Bullet’ by Breaking His Engagement to Tara Reid

Carson Daly of the 'Today Show' and 'The Voice' was romantically linked to some high-profile celebs during his stint on MTV, and previously commented on a broken engagement to 'American Pie' star Tara Reid.

by Melissa Mitas

Published on March 18, 2021

2 min read

Tara Reid had earned a reputation as a ‘party girl’

Reid was getting traction in Hollywood with films like The Big Lebowski, American Pie and Josie and the Pussycats. Yet her affinity for partying began making more headlines than her acting ability.

“When I go out to drink, I really drink,” she told Rolling Stone in 1999, as reported by Us Magazine. “I black out sometimes. I don’t know how I manage my life when I black out, but I still function and just keep going.”

In a Feb. 2021 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Reid said she felt “misjudged” by being labeled as a heavy partier in the early 2000s, where that perception cost her career opportunities.

“[It bothered me] that [people thought] I was just a party girl and thought I wasn’t anything else because that wasn’t true,” she commented. “It didn’t make sense to get punished for having fun.”

Carson Daly and Tara Reid were opposites

The aspiring actor met Daly on the set of MTV’s spring break show in Cancun. By 2000, Daly had popped the question to Reid and the two were living together. After one wedding date was pushed up, the couple split in 2001. The Voice emcee shared his thoughts on his past relationship with Reid, revealing that her lifestyle was a big reason for their breakup.

“To some extent, I dodged a bullet,” Daly told Elle in 2013. “I was getting serious about my career, and she wanted to shoot movies and just party in her time off. That didn’t work for me.”

The failed union prompted Daly to change course regarding potential mates, with a focus on those more in line with his own values.

“I realized I’d have more in common with a regular person than with a celebrity,” the Today co-host remarked. “There were values I was more likely to find in a nice, midwestern girl than one who was living on the coast, pursuing fame.”

Carson Daly met Siri Pinter on ‘Last Call’

When Pinter started on Daly’s show Last Call as a writer’s assistant in 2005, he felt an immediate connection with his new colleague. When they began dating, they kept their relationship under wraps for a while but soon decided to go public.

“We realized we were in love and it wasn’t just an office romance,” Daly said.

The couple got engaged in 2013 after the birth of their two children, Jackson and Etta. Daughter London arrived in 2014. The two tied the knot in December 2015, and welcomed their fourth child, Goldie, in March 2020. Daly knew early in his relationship with Pinter that he was a lucky man.

“Men often think it’s the bad boys who get the hot chicks,” he said in 2013. “But I’m living proof that the good guys win.”