Hoda Kotb is celebrating a special man who will always be part of her life.
Over the weekend, Kotb, 61, reunited with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman for an intimate birthday gathering with their two daughters.
“Happy bday to the best DAD!!! 🎂,” Kotb wrote via Instagram on Sunday, March 22.
In the photos, Schiffman, 68, posed with his arms around daughters Haley, 9, and Hope, 6, as they sat in front of a plate of pigs in blankets. Another shot appeared to be from a birthday party complete with unicorn decorations, a sparkly birthday cake and pink streamers.
Hoda Kotb Calls Ex-Fiance Joel Schiffman the ‘Best Dad’ on Father’s Day
“Happy birthday Joel! 🎊🎉,” Al Roker’s wife, Deborah Roberts, wrote in the comments section. Another follower commented, “I am so happy that you remained friends through it all and that he is so present in the girls lives. It takes a really special bond for that to work 🥰.”
Kotb and Schiffman previously got engaged in 2019 before splitting in 2021. During their romantic relationship, the pair welcomed daughters Haley and Hope through adoption in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Since their breakup, the two parents have been able to reunite on special occasions, including birthdays and major holidays.
Although Kotb tried to keep the relationship out of the spotlight, she previously shared a glimpse into what led to a drama-free breakup.
“Our decision to part wasn’t one that we took lightly, but we knew it was the right one,” Kotb wrote in Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life, which was released in September 2025. “It came from a place of love, not anger, which makes a big difference.”
The Today show coanchor continued, “There was no cheating, no scandal, no big crisis. It sounds cliché, but truth is, we were just growing apart. There wasn’t the drama you hear about in all the great country songs. The no-good, two-timing, whiskey-loving heartbreakers. It simply wasn’t us.”
Hoda Kotb and Ex Joel Schiffman’s Relationship Timeline
Although there was nothing “wrong” in Kotb’s relationship with Schiffman, the journalist wrote that things didn’t “feel 100 percent right” either.
“I think when your partner is nice and there’s chemistry, it’s easy to overlook that you’ve been cruising along on different paths,” Kotb explained. “But when you decide to take a good look and compare road maps … you can’t avoid the truth.”
In January 2025, Kotb appeared on her final episode of the Today show. Although she has returned to the NBC morning show to fill in for Savannah Guthrie during the search for her mom, Nancy Guthrie, Kotb has been able to spend more time with her daughters and expand her Joy 101 empire.
