Culture
Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman Enjoy a Sunday Together Co-Parenting Their Daughters
Hoda Kotb and her ex‑fiancé Joel Schiffman share a cozy family dinner
Post‑Halloween “Funday Sunday” — pizza, puppy cuddles and quality time with daughters Hayley and Hope
Hoda Kotb is very much a family person and this weekend that meant family time at the table.
The ex‑fiancé of the former Today anchor, Joel Schiffman, and the mother of the kids, Hayley, 8, and Hope, 6, had a warm get‑together after a Halloween night. The couple who close their chapter in 2022 after being together for eight years, shared pictures on Instagram showing the family sitting at the table and enjoying pepperoni pizza, grilled chicken, sandwiches, pasta and fruit.
One of the pictures showed the girls holding Joel, 67, tightly in their arms and he was looking at the camera and smiling widely. Besides these two, the third photo in the Nov. 3 post was of Kotb’s dog Waffles relaxing in a grassy area covered with fall leaves.
Post‑Halloween family meal highlights friendly co‑parenting — Kotb calls Joel “one of the best people I know”
On Nov. 3, Hoda, 61, shared a very simple caption on her Instagram post: “Funday Sunday!” — the photos were evidence of it. The ex‑Today anchor and ex‑fiancé Joel Schiffman met up again after Halloween for a calm meal with their daughters, Hayley, 8, and Hope, 6. The family gathered around the table were seen sharing pepperoni pizza, grilled chicken, sandwiches, pasta, and fruit.
In one photo, the girls are hugging Joel, 67, who is beaming broadly at the camera, while in another, Kotb’s dog Waffles is seen relaxing among the fall leaves. After the breakup in 2022, the couple, Hoda and Joel, have been keen on a friendly co‑parenting relationship. In an interview with The Jamie Kern Lima Show in August 2024, she said, “Joel is one of the best people I know, and he really is a great human being… sometimes two great human beings together isn’t quite enough to make it work.”
Hoda Kotb names ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman as the reason she became a mom
The two former partners continue to be close co-parents – Kotb says that she could have been “too scared” of having kids alone
In an interview with People in July, Hoda Kotb was applauding Joel Schiffman over and over for the part he played in their family, “I have two amazing children that I share with him. And it is because of Joel that I have Haley and Hope, without a doubt. I guess I might have been too scared to do it alone.” The ex-Today anchor has also publicly honored his fatherhood, for example, last Father’s Day she wrote, “A great father’s day for a great dad! … Happy father’s day Joel!” – thus, emphasizing the positive, caring co-parenting team they have created after their break-up in 2022.
