Hoda Kotb, 58, opens up about ‘healthy’ co-parenting relationship with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman

Hoda Kotb has opened up about how she and her former fiancé Joel Schiffman are co-parenting their daughters in a ‘healthy’ way after their split, saying he is a ‘great dad.’ 

The Today co-anchor and her girls, Haley Joy, five, and Hope, three, are featured on the new cover of People magazine, in which she discusses her relationship with her ex, her desire to adopt a third child, and her hope for ‘future loves.’ 

Kotb, 58, and Schiffman, 64, were together for eight years and engaged for two when she announced their split on the Today show in late January. After more than six months of co-parenting, the journalist said they ‘have it down.’ 

‘He’ll have a Saturday, and I’ll do the Sunday. We switch each week. He’ll take the girls and do some fun things, and I’ll take some quiet time. It’s a healthy mix, and the kids love it. He’s a great dad,’ she said. 

After more than six months of co-parenting, she said they ‘have it down,’ explaining they alternate taking their daughters on Saturdays and Sundays

Kotb credited their open line of communication and the help of their two nannies for allowing them to navigate their busy schedules while raising their daughters together.

‘”Does that work for you?” “Do you need me to change that?” We’re very open about fixing things so that everybody’s needs are being met,’ she explained, adding: ‘He’s a great dad — but I also know I’m on the right road.’ 

Kotb met Schiffman at a book signing in 2013, and they immediately hit it off. They were together for six years and had welcomed two daughters together via adoption when he popped the question in 2019 during a romantic getaway in Mexico. 

They had to postpone their destination wedding three times due to the pandemic before they went their separate ways at the start of 2022. 

Kotb and her daughters are featured on the cover of People magazine’s Family Issue 

Kotb insisted there is no bad blood between them, explaining that their relationship had merely run its course. 

‘I don’t regret one day, not one minute, not one second of our time together because it brought me here. I have two incredible children I share with him. And it’s because of Joel that I have Haley and Hope, without question,’ she said. ‘I think I might have been too afraid to do it alone. That’s not something I love to admit, but it’s true.’ 

Kotb, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 42 years old, came out of treatment unable to conceive. She was originally nervous to bring up the topic of adoption with Schiffman, but she resolved to have the emotional conversation. 

‘I remember when I went to speak to Joel about it… my heart was pounding. I think I was afraid of the answer, to be honest. But I knew I had to say something, I had to ask,’ she told DailyMail.com in 2018. 

Kotb and Schiffman were together for eight years and engaged for two when she announced their split on the Today show in late January

‘He’s a great dad – but I also know I’m on the right road,’ she said of their split 

Kotb and Schiffman had wanted to adopt a third child, but their plans were delayed by the pandemic. The mom said she is still open to the possibility of expanding her family 

When Kotb told him she wanted to pursue adoption with him, she made it clear that he should feel free to take as much time as he needed to ponder that possibility.

‘Take a day, a month, a year, whatever you need to think about it, and you can just let me know when you’re ready,’ she said, recounting the conversation. ‘And he just looked at me and said, “I don’t need a day.”‘

Kotb and Schiffman adopted their daughter Haley Joy in 2017, and two years later, they welcomed their second daughter, Hope Catherine. 

The journalist had been candid about their desire to adopt a third child while they were together, but their plans to expand their family had been delayed by the pandemic. 

However, the single mom shared that she is still open to the possibility of welcoming another child into her home.  

Kotb (pictured with her mother, sister, and daughters) also shared that she sees herself falling in love again after ending her eight-year relationship with Schiffman 

‘I’ve had past loves, and I feel like I’ll have future loves,’ explained Kotb (pictured on vacation with her family). ‘Once you know who you are all the way, then love can come in’

‘It’s definitely in the universe for me,’ she told People. ‘I feel like whatever is meant to be is meant to be. But I know a few things. I have love and time, and we have an open space. 

‘Every time I see a child who needs something or read about a child, my heart’s breaking. I’m like, I know if we could invite them into our home just what it would mean. Not just for the child, but for us.’ 

Kotb has been open about her fears that she will miss her daughters’ future milestones as an older parent, but it brings her solace to know that her girls are ‘going to have each other forever.’  

‘The other day they were playing on their scooters, and they said, “Super sisters save the day!”‘ she recalled. ‘I thought to myself, “Yes, super sisters — forever, you guys have each other.” Nothing makes me feel more peaceful.’

Kotb also shared that she sees herself falling in love again after ending her eight-year relationship with Schiffman. She had previously been married to former tennis coach Burzis Kanga. They had been together for less than two years when she filed for divorce in 2007.  

‘I’ve had past loves, and I feel like I’ll have future loves,’ she explained. ‘Once you know who you are all the way, then love can come in. You know how people say the older you get, the more you know who you are? I think someone who meets me now will meet me for real.’