What To Know
- Hoda Kotb opened up about her dating life after splitting from her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, in 2022.
- The former Today host revealed what qualities she looks for in a potential romantic connection.
- Kotb recently sparked reunion rumors with Schiffman after sharing an Instagram photo of the two together at a World Cup match.
Since reentering the dating pool, Hoda Kotb has narrowed down what she is and isn’t looking for in a potential romantic partner.
The former Today host was previously married to Burzis Kanga from 2005 to 2008. She quietly began dating Joel Schiffman in 2013 before making their relationship public in 2015. The pair share two daughters, Haley and Hope, whom they adopted in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Schiffman proposed in 2019, but Kotb later revealed during a January 2022 episode of Today that the duo had split over the holidays.
Kotb has since begun searching for new love, revealing on a March 2024 episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show that she had gone on her first date in two years. Her former fourth-hour cohost of Today, Jenna Bush Hager, even offered to set Kotb up on a date in the past.
Though Kotb has remained publicly single since she and Schiffman split, she opened up about her dating life progress on the Thursday, July 9, episode of her YouTube series “Joy Rides.”
“What is it like dating?” asked Kotb’s guest, Michelle Buteau. “Do you feel like, ‘I’m gonna show up. I’m gonna pay. I’m gonna leave, so it’s on my own terms?’ Do you like the chivalry: the show up with a flower on time, hold the door open [stuff]? Do you want someone to order for you?”
Hoda told the actress and comedian that she grew up never seeing her mom, Sameha Kotb, having to open a door for herself. “My dad [Abdel Kotb] went around, opened the door, every single time,” she shared. “And so, I thought it was normal. I thought that’s what people did. It’s not.”
Her father’s gentlemanly nature is something Hoda said she looks for in her dates. “If I go out on a date, and someone orders first or sits down and says to the waitress, ‘I’ll have…’ before me, or hops in his door and goes, ‘Oh,’ and then looks to where’s the unlock … I have to say, that’s my number one [thing], and I think that’s everything to me, if somebody has that,” she explained. “And also, I don’t care about somebody’s money. All I care about is emotional connection, a real connect.”
She continued, “I was actually on a flight the other day and sat next to somebody, and literally, for the whole flight, we had this weird connection, connect moment. I don’t know what it was exactly, but I walked out of there floating. I actually don’t know what it was, but it was something that I felt I was like, ‘I need more of whatever this is in my life.’”
Kotb has maintained a friendly co-parenting relationship with Schiffman over the years. She recently sparked rumors of a potential rekindling after posting an Instagram photo of the two together at a FIFA World Cup match on June 30.
“You and Joel are pretty sweet together,” one fan commented underneath the post. Another added, “WE LOVE JOEL!!!! And we love a soft (re)launch!!! One life to live @hodakotb !!!! So cool you got to see that game!!!” Someone else shared, “So good to see the two of you together!”
A different person posted, “I hope you are back with Joel, life’s too short.” A separate commenter stated, “You have no idea the joy I feel everytime I see Joel with you. I think your viewers see something you dont see..you 2 belong together.” (Kotb has not publicly confirmed nor denied the reunion rumors.)