Today host Hoda Kotb has announced that she and Joel Schiffman are parting ways as a couple. In a heartfelt moment during the third hour of Today on January 31, Hoda shared the news with her audience.
A New Path for Hoda and Joel
In a candid and emotional announcement, Hoda Kotb opened up about the decision she and Joel Schiffman made after deep reflection. “Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holidays, and we decided that we are better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple,” Hoda explained. “So, we decided we are going to start this new year on our new path as loving parents to our adorably delightful children and as friends.”
Hoda reassured her audience that this decision wasn’t born out of any conflict or negative event. “It’s not like something happened. They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, a season, or a lifetime,” she said. “This was for a season.”
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A Journey Together: Eight Years of Love and Parenthood
Hoda and Joel’s relationship began in 2015 when they went public with their romance. Together, they expanded their family by adopting their eldest daughter, Haley Joy, in 2017, and their second daughter, Hope Catherine, in April 2019. Despite the split, Hoda emphasized that their daughters remain their top priority.
“He’s a great guy. He’s a very kind and loving person, and I feel privileged to have spent eight years with him,” Hoda continued. “We are both good and we are both kind of going on our way and our path. We’ll be good parents to those two lovely kids.”
The Engagement That Brought Joy
Just a few months after welcoming their second child, Hoda announced her engagement to Joel on Today in November 2019. The couple had envisioned a beautiful destination wedding, planning to tie the knot in November 2020. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced them to postpone their nuptials.
Hoda recalled the magical moment when Joel proposed: “We ended up having a little dinner on the beach, and he was like, ‘I have something else I would like to say,’ and he said some beautiful things, and then he got down on one knee. Then he said, ‘Would you be my wife?’”
As the wedding plans evolved, Hoda expressed her hopes for a beach wedding. “I don’t know if a destination will be in the cards anymore,” she told People in October 2020. “It’s been postponed and I always wanted kind of a beach wedding.”
Planning Amid Uncertainty
In April 2021, Hoda revealed on Today that she hadn’t set a second wedding date. “You know what’s weird is you plan something and you had it all in stone and then everything got uprooted and now we’re planning it again and there’s something weird,” she said. “We’re like, ‘We’re doing it. Should we just do it this summer? Should we wait?’ We don’t know.”
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Despite the uncertainty, Hoda’s family remained a source of joy. In December 2021, she shared heartwarming photos celebrating Christmas at home with Joel and the kids. The family posed for photos in matching pajamas and enjoyed opening gifts together.
