Hoda Kotb’s Ex Husband Explained: Marriage Rumors, Joel Schiffman, and Relationship Timeline
Hoda Kotb’s “ex husband” is a search that pops up constantly, but the real story is a little different than most people expect. If you’re trying to figure out who she divorced or who her former spouse was, the short answer is this: Hoda Kotb has never been publicly married, so she does not have an ex husband. What she does have is a very public relationship history, including a long-term partnership and engagement to Joel Schiffman that ended in 2022.
Quick Facts
- Full name: Hoda Kotb
- Born: August 9, 1964
- Profession: Television journalist, author, host
- Known for: NBC’s Today
- Hoda Kotb’s ex husband: None (not publicly married)
- Most known former fiancé: Joel Schiffman
- Relationship status: Not publicly married; currently private about dating
- Children: Two adopted daughters
- Daughters: Haley Joy and Hope Catherine
- Estimated net worth: Approximately $30 million to $40 million
Short Bio: Hoda Kotb
Hoda Kotb is a longtime American broadcast journalist and television host best known for her work on NBC’s Today. She built her reputation through years of reporting and anchoring, eventually becoming a central figure in morning television because of her warmth, composure, and ability to handle both serious news and emotional stories. Beyond television, she’s also an author and speaker who has shared parts of her personal journey—especially motherhood—with a tone that feels honest but still private. Her public image is highly familiar, yet she keeps certain details of her romantic life carefully protected.
Short Bio: Joel Schiffman
Joel Schiffman is best known publicly as Hoda Kotb’s former fiancé. He is a business professional in finance who generally kept a low public profile while Hoda’s career unfolded in front of millions of viewers. Their relationship became widely known because it was long-term and stable, and because Hoda occasionally shared affectionate, respectful glimpses of their life as a family. After years together, they became engaged, and later announced they had ended the relationship while remaining connected through co-parenting.
Why People Search “Hoda Kotb’s Ex Husband” So Often
This is one of those internet searches where the keyword is popular even when it’s not technically accurate. A lot of people don’t mean “ex husband” in the legal sense. They mean “the man she was with,” “the father figure in her kids’ lives,” or “the ex she talked about on TV.” Because Hoda had a serious, long relationship and an engagement that was widely discussed, many readers assume marriage happened at some point.
Another reason the confusion sticks is the way online biographies get copied. One site labels Joel Schiffman as an “ex husband” incorrectly. Another site repeats it. Then a third site “confirms” it by quoting the second site. After enough repetition, people assume it must be true. In reality, the most accurate framing is simple: Hoda has an ex-fiancé and ex-partner, not an ex-husband.
Does Hoda Kotb Have an Ex Husband?
No. Hoda Kotb does not have an ex husband because she has never been publicly married. This is the most important sentence in the entire topic. There is no divorce record being discussed publicly, no former spouse she has introduced as a husband, and no public marriage timeline that would create an “ex husband” in the literal sense.
That doesn’t mean she hasn’t had serious love. It simply means she didn’t legally marry in a way that was publicly confirmed. People often forget that a relationship can be deeply committed without being a marriage. And in Hoda’s case, her most visible relationship was serious enough that it looked like a marriage from the outside—especially because it included building a family together.
Hoda Kotb’s Most Well-Known Ex: Joel Schiffman
If you’re searching for “Hoda Kotb’s ex husband,” you’re almost certainly looking for Joel Schiffman. He is the person most commonly linked to her romantic life in modern headlines. For years, he was part of her “life story” as the public saw it: a supportive partner, a co-parent, and a calm presence behind the scenes while she worked one of the most demanding jobs in television.
Hoda didn’t constantly post about him or turn the relationship into a publicity machine, but she also didn’t hide it completely. The balance was just enough for viewers to feel connected while still leaving privacy intact. That middle ground often creates even more curiosity, because people feel like they know the relationship without having all the details.
Were Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman Married?
No, they were not publicly confirmed as married. They were engaged, which is a major commitment, but engagement is not marriage. It’s a promise of intent, not a legal status change. The reason this matters is that the word “ex husband” implies divorce, legal proceedings, and a completed marriage. In Hoda’s case, the public story is not divorce. The public story is a breakup after a long relationship and engagement.
This distinction isn’t about being picky. It’s about accuracy. Celebrity relationship timelines get sloppy fast, and once a wrong detail spreads, it becomes hard to correct. If you want a clean, reliable summary: Hoda and Joel were long-term partners, became engaged, then later ended their relationship.
When Did Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman Break Up?
Hoda Kotb announced in January 2022 that she and Joel Schiffman had ended their engagement and were no longer together as a couple. What stood out about that announcement was the tone. It wasn’t bitter. It wasn’t dramatic. It was respectful and very “adult,” focused on what mattered most: continuing to raise their children together in a healthy way.
When a public figure ends an engagement calmly, it can actually confuse people more. Some viewers assume, “If they’re still friendly and still co-parenting, maybe they’re still married.” Others assume, “If they were engaged, they must have been married.” But the reality is often the simplest: the romantic relationship ended, and they chose to stay united as parents.
Did Hoda Kotb Have Children With Joel Schiffman?
Hoda Kotb has two adopted daughters, and she adopted them during her relationship with Joel Schiffman. While adoption is not the same as having children biologically with a partner, it can create a family bond that looks and feels just as real. That’s one reason the public often assumes “husband.” When a couple is raising children together, many people automatically label the partner as a spouse, even if that’s not legally true.
Her daughters are:
- Haley Joy
- Hope Catherine
Hoda has shared enough about motherhood for viewers to understand it is central to her life. And because Joel was present during that family-building chapter, the public continues to link his name to hers, sometimes using the wrong label. The more accurate label is “former fiancé” or “ex-partner,” not “ex husband.”
Why Their Relationship Felt Like a Marriage to Viewers
From the outside, Hoda and Joel’s relationship checked many boxes people associate with marriage:
- They were together for years
- They lived a family-centered life
- They raised children together
- They were engaged and planned a future
- They stayed connected even after splitting up
That’s basically the emotional shape of marriage, even if the legal paperwork never happened. For many viewers, the legal definition feels less important than the reality of shared life. But search engines don’t work on emotion. They work on keywords. That’s why the phrase “ex husband” keeps appearing even though “ex fiancé” would be more accurate.
What Hoda Kotb Has Said About Love, Commitment, and Timing
Hoda has spoken in broad terms over the years about love arriving in different seasons of life. Her public journey—especially through motherhood—has shown that she doesn’t follow the “traditional timeline” many people expect. She became a mother later. She built a family without needing a traditional marriage storyline. She focused on stability and joy rather than checking boxes.
This is one reason her relationship status becomes a constant topic. Some people expect a famous anchor to have a very traditional biography: marriage, kids, divorce, remarriage. Hoda’s story doesn’t match that template, so people keep searching, trying to force the story into the shape they recognize.
Is Hoda Kotb Dating Anyone Now?
As of now, Hoda has not publicly confirmed a new long-term partner in a way that can be clearly named and verified. She has talked generally about being open to love, but she has not presented a confirmed relationship as a public chapter. This is consistent with her overall style: she shares personal emotions and life lessons, but she does not provide full access to her romantic life.
It’s also a practical boundary. When someone is a household name, dating can become complicated fast. The moment you confirm a partner, that person becomes a public topic too. Many public figures avoid that for a long time, especially when children are involved. Protecting the kids often means protecting the adults around them from becoming internet content.
What People Often Get Wrong About This Topic
Mistake #1: Thinking “engaged” means “married.” Engagement is a serious commitment, but it is not marriage.
Mistake #2: Assuming she has a divorce history. There is no publicly confirmed marriage, which means no public divorce.
Mistake #3: Treating internet repetition as proof. Many websites copy each other’s errors. A repeated error is still an error.
Mistake #4: Assuming she owes details. Hoda is a public figure, but she still has the right to keep romantic life private, especially when children are involved.
Hoda Kotb’s Career and Why It Affects Relationship Curiosity
Hoda’s career has been intensely public for years. She appears in people’s homes daily, which creates a unique kind of connection. Viewers don’t only admire her; they feel like they know her. That familiarity fuels personal curiosity in a way that doesn’t happen with every celebrity.
When a public figure feels “safe” and relatable, audiences often want the full life story: love, heartbreak, family, healing, new beginnings. Hoda’s on-air style encourages that emotional connection, even though she keeps boundaries. Those two things together—warm visibility and personal privacy—create a perfect recipe for constant searches about an “ex husband.”
Hoda Kotb’s Net Worth and Why It Shows Up in Relationship Searches
Hoda Kotb’s estimated net worth is often placed around $30 million to $40 million, built through decades of network television work, major hosting roles, and bestselling books. When someone is financially successful and very visible, people tend to search everything at once: relationship status, family life, and money.
But financial success doesn’t automatically clarify relationship status. If anything, it can make privacy more valuable. When someone has resources, they can choose quiet. They can choose boundaries. They can choose a life that doesn’t require constant explanation.
Bottom Line: The Most Accurate Answer
If you came here for a clear answer, here it is: Hoda Kotb does not have an ex husband because she has never been publicly married. The man most people are actually referring to is Joel Schiffman, her former fiancé and long-term partner. Their relationship ended in 2022, and they continued to co-parent and maintain respect, which is part of why the public sometimes mislabels the story as a “divorce.”
So the clean wording is:
- Ex husband: None
- Most known ex partner: Joel Schiffman
- Most important chapter now: Motherhood and family stability
image source: https://people.com/hoda-kotb-co-anchor-today-fourth-week-search-savannah-guthrie-mom-continues-11914777
