Shoes off at the door? Joe Fryer's germ report sends TODAY's comments around the world
Viewers from Korea, Scandinavia and Hawaii say the question was settled long ago, and a Winnie-the-Pooh centenary visit to the New York Public Library also drew a crowd the same day.
TODAYStory of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 79,176 views a day, 16 times a normal first day on this channel (4,894).
Should You Take Your Shoes Off When Inside a Home?
"Should You Take Your Shoes Off When Inside a Home?" sounds like a gentle morning-show question, but on TODAY's channel it has become the day's most-watched new video. NBC's Joe Fryer's report reached about 60,000 views in its first fourteen hours. That is roughly sixteen times what a new upload here usually draws in a full first day.
The segment starts from an American habit. Most people slip off their own shoes at the front door, yet many feel awkward asking guests to do the same. To show why some hosts ask anyway, the report turns to a University of Arizona study of what shoe soles carry, which found E. coli on more than a quarter of the shoes examined.
For much of the comment section, though, this was never a question. Viewers from Asian households, from Scandinavia and from Hawaii explain that shoes come off at the door, no discussion needed. A Korean viewer remembers being embarrassed as a kid to ask visiting friends to take their shoes off, and now wonders why that ever felt strange. Others recommend keeping a separate pair of indoor shoes or slippers. Several name public restrooms as the reason they started taking their shoes off. The thumbnail, which shows a pair of shoes resting on a bed comforter, drew complaints of its own.
The same day, a gentler story also ran well past the usual start, at about eight times a typical first day. Laura Jarrett marked 100 years of A. A. Milne's Winnie-the-Pooh with a visit to the New York Public Library, where the original stuffed animals and a first edition of the 1926 book are kept.
Published on Trari
What viewers say
As a Korean, I remember being embarrassed when I was younger to ask friends to take their shoes off when they came over. I even had a classmate make fun of me once for taking my shoes off inside my own home 😂 Now I’m like… why was I ever embarrassed about that?!
@EataTacoSee it on YouTubeGrew up in Hawaii and no shoes (or slippas) on inside.
@jocelynb8935See it on YouTubeI have outdoor shoes and indoor shoes. Simple solution.
@user-kg3zz9jl2dSee it on YouTube
Public comments from the video's page on YouTube
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- Channel
- TODAY
- Subscribers
- 5,110,000
- Channel views, pace per day
- 1,312,605 (on a normal day: 1,279,863)
- Video published
- October 1, 2026
- Video views so far
- 60,045 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 79,176
The numbers
Joe Fryer's report opened far ahead of a usual first day on a channel that posts many videos a day, and the Pooh centenary segment also ran well past it.
💡 Test your knowledge
In a traditional Japanese home, what is the entryway where shoes are taken off called?
The genkan is the entrance area, usually a step below the main floor, where people leave their outdoor shoes before stepping up into the house.
