Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld have a new answer to what they watch at night with a 4-month-old at home, for now, television has some competition.
During an Aug. 28 appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio with Adam Schein, the Buffalo Bills quarterback said he and Steinfeld are trying to limit screens around their daughter, Harper Haize, because she immediately notices when one is on.
Once Harper’s eyes are closed and she is nearly asleep, Allen said he and his wife turn to the New York Times crossword, Connections and Wordle. “That’s our little routine that we love doing,” he said.
Allen also revealed that he starts every Wordle with the same five-letter word: “harps.” He spelled it out, H-A-R-P-S, but stopped there. The word closely resembles Harper’s name, though Allen did not say that was why he chose it.
‘We’re Trying to Limit the Screens’
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Schein had asked Allen whether he and Steinfeld had found any shows to watch during the late-night stretches that come with a new baby. Allen’s answer quickly turned to Harper: “We’re trying to limit the screens ‘cause if there’s a screen, she’s over there looking.”
The couple waits until Harper is almost asleep before starting the crossword, then works through Connections and Wordle as part of the same routine. Allen described the games as something he and Steinfeld do together every night rather than a solo habit he has picked up since becoming a father.
His Wordle strategy appears considerably more settled than most people’s. When Schein asked for the opening word, Allen answered immediately: “It’s harps, H-A-R-P-S.” He did not offer a backup choice.
Allen Says Harper’s Name Was Steinfeld’s Idea
Allen and Steinfeld announced the arrival of their first child in April but initially kept her name private. Steinfeld introduced her as Harper Haize Allen in June through a letter published in her Beau Society newsletter, as E! News reported.
Steinfeld wrote directly to Harper about the first months of motherhood, including naps, diaper changes and the small victory of moving a sleeping baby from her arms to the crib without waking her.
Allen later provided one piece of the naming story. Asked in July where Harper’s name came from, he said it had been an early idea for the couple and credited Steinfeld with suggesting it. When pressed on whether there was a deeper meaning behind the name, he said his wife could answer that question better than he could.
Motherhood Gave Steinfeld a New Connection to Hexed
Steinfeld returned to a major public stage in August at D23 in Anaheim, where she promoted Disney’s upcoming animated movie Hexed. The official D23 announcement identifies Steinfeld as the voice of Billie Doe, a teenager whose newly discovered magical abilities lead her into the world of Hexe alongside her cautious mother, Alice, voiced by Rashida Jones.
Steinfeld said at the event that becoming a mother had deepened her connection to the movie’s mother-daughter story and made her especially excited for Harper to see it one day. The appearance came roughly four months after she and Allen welcomed their daughter.
Hexed is scheduled to open in theaters on Nov. 25, 2026. Disney also announced at D23 that Walton Goggins voices Beef Roger Crummchuk and Jodie Foster voices Queen Celeste.