Exclusive: Tamron Hall Admits Son Moses 'Saved My Life' Ahead of Children's Book Release: 'He's Given Me This Perspective of What's Important'

Tamron Hall certainly has her hands full — from hosting her eponymous talk show to spending time with her kid, Moses — but when she had the idea to write Harlem Honey: The Adventures of a Curious Kid, she knew she was onto something.

"When we returned to my studio at the end of 2020, after everyone was shut down and the show had been shut down, I noticed my son was this incredibly confident kid in the home, and the minute we started going to birthday parties in person again or just going to the little kids' gyms, he was a completely different person. He would come home and talk about everything that he saw, experienced and overheard. But in that moment, if you were an outsider looking in, you would've seen him standing near me looking around and being afraid," the talk show host, 54, exclusively tells Morning Honey.

"But what I knew more than anything is that he's a different child at home, and as I started to talk to other parents and other people, I started to explore this conversation of fear, which is natural to all of us. I experienced it as a child myself and my mom really infused her confidence in me," Hall, who is married to Steven Greener, continues. "We've gotten away from the notion of big kids don't cry or big boys don't cry and the language and acceptance of what that means to give children and adults the emotional freedom to cry."

The journalist's new book, which comes out on Tuesday, March 25, was inspired "by the most precious thing in her life" — her son, whom she welcomed in 2019, and tells the tale about their celebrated neighborhood and places and people that make Harlem their home.

Though the mom-of-one is constantly on, she admits she gets nervous — just like everyone else.

"The world is a stage, but it's a different stage everywhere you go, right? For my son, the birthday parties that he saw watching on videos or Blippi, but then when you're there, it's unpredictable and louder. I'm lucky to have a great support system, whether it's the other moms who are producers and a part of my show. I hope that Harlem Honey gives the opportunity to explore how curiosity can diffuse fear for me, becoming a journalist and being curious about people and taking the attention off of me," she shares. "The whole show says my name, but it gives me a chance to focus on my guests. Being the journalist who hosts the show is the weapon I knew I could use to easy my social anxiety. As part of the book, the character moves from New York from Texas and we introduced curiosity and kindness as a way of easing those fears of new place and faces."

When it comes to chatting with her tot, the Emmy winner is very open about what he might "encounter" out in the world. "If we're going somewhere related to my work, I'll prepare him a lot. We moved to a new studio recently and he's been going to the old studio since he was born. I was like, 'We got a new studio. It's very different,' and I explained what he's walking into as best as I can. With my son, it's more about offering patience. When we go to a new place, we rush to dinner, so instead, I bake in that time so we can walk to the restaurant and he can look around. He is much better now and he travels with me! He's going on tour to Houston and New Orleans, and I have to hear about it every day, the countdown!"

"The shyness shows up in different ways. It shows up in different moments, and it's learning how to process that shyness," she continues. "I tell him, when you 'face that fear,' you get the chance to meet someone new and experience something new."

Hall admits Moses is her "biggest blessing."

"I don't say this lightly — but Moses saved my life. He's given me this perspective of what's important. I have always been driven. I'm from a generation of women, and I benefitted from that. As a result, you fight to stay in those rooms and work becomes a big focus of who you are. That's a wonderful thing, and I celebrate I am now able to come home to my son and have a different view of myself and my life journey," she says. "Moses is so funny and we have a blast together!"

Additionally, Moses is supportive of his mom's latest endeavor. "My son has been a really good reader since early on. I used to believe he just memorized a bunch of words, but his teacher said, 'No, he's literate.' He's a ferocious reader, much like myself when I was a kid. He loves reading and he loves this. Moses can see this character that resembles himself," she notes of the tome.

Though there's been ups and downs, Hall is "super happy" with her life.

However, "there's no perfect life," she declares. "My life is not a filter. There are days I wake up and feel like I can take on the world, but there are days where you want to stay under the covers. I have those days, but I surround myself with people who give me advice, who lift me up, who give me the truth and who, like me, try the best they can. I'm doing the best I can with what I got!"

Harlem Honey is available to order now.