Hoda Kotb, the 59-year-old anchor of “Today With Hoda and Jenna,” recently revealed that she went on her first date since breaking up with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, in 2022. In a preview for an episode of the “Kelly Clarkson Show,” Kotb excitedly shared the news, stating, “Something did happen the other day that hasn’t happened in two years… I had a date! I had a date!” The audience erupted in applause and cheers, with Clarkson congratulating her on reaching this milestone.
However, Kotb made it clear that she didn’t want to place too much emphasis on the future possibilities of this date. She emphasized, “It was just a date. It was nothing but a date.” Turning the conversation towards Clarkson, whose divorce from Brandon Blackstock was highly publicized, Kotb asked if she could consider going on a date. Clarkson humorously responded, “Not at all. I am really loving not having a man in my life, like, it’s just too hard.”
While Kotb kept the details of her date private, she accidentally mentioned it during a February 15 episode of “Today With Hoda and Jenna.” Talking to Jennifer Lopez about relationships, Kotb revealed, “You just told me about your setup tonight.” She then chuckled and confessed, “I just told her I had a date tonight, which that wasn’t supposed to be public.”
After two years of being single, Jenna Bush Hager had encouraged Kotb to go on a blind date. On a February 19 episode, Hager even teased that she was “in the process” of setting her up with a friend as Kotb tried to move on to the next topic.
Kotb’s engagement to Schiffman ended in January 2022, and she has been single ever since. Reflecting on their relationship, she shared, “They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, for a season or for a lifetime, and I feel like ours was meant to be there for a season.” Kotb and Schiffman were together for eight years and engaged for two. They are also the proud parents of two daughters, Haley and Hope, whom they adopted in 2017 and 2019 respectively.
Stay tuned for more updates on the love life of Hoda Kotb!
