Hoda Kotb Once Made Herself 'Small' So an Ex Could 'Feel Worthy and Seen'

Hoda Kotb is opening up on how a past romance took a blow to her self-esteem and happiness.

The confession came about during the Tuesday, October 17, episode of Today, as the star and co-host Jenna Bush Hager chatted with Millie Bobby Brown, who gushed over fiancé Jake Bongiovi and the way he adores all of her quirks.

The Stranger Things lead, 19, explained that when she met her future husband, "I just felt I could be loud. He embraced that and encouraged that. And I fell in love with myself while being with him."

Her words prompted Kotb, 59, to share that she's experienced the opposite, noting, "I was in a long relationship where I felt like I made myself so small so that he felt seen and worthy."

The mom-of-two said she would often want to tell her boyfriend at the time certain tidbits from her day, but she refrained from doing so in case it would hurt his feelings. "Every time it happened, and it was an 'ouch' to me, because I was like, 'Oh, he's gonna feel ... he's gonna feel an ouch,'" she recalled.

"Then all of a sudden your relationship, you just get smaller and smaller," Kotb continued. "It takes a minute before you go, 'That doesn't feel great.' You think because you're helping him that somehow you're doing a service but you're not. You're doing a disservice to yourself."

Bush Hager, 41, chimed in to add, "You're not even being your real spirit."

Kotb noted she was referring to an ex from years ago, clarifying her words weren't about ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, whom she split from in January 2022. The two have an amicable dynamic as they co-parent their two daughters.

"We have a really great working relationship when it comes to holidays," she spilled in a previous interview. "We speak a lot and we make sure that we divvy it up so that it is great for him and great for us."

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Kotb is open to finding love again, though a source claimed she refuses to sign up for dating apps.

"She's making it clear to friends she would like to meet Mr. Right," the source spilled, noting pals Kathie Lee Gifford and Maria Shriver are both up to the task.

"Katie Lee has found love again and Maria Shriver is happy with her man," the source pointed out. "They're helping Hoda because clearly what she's doing so far hasn't worked."

Kotb's costar Bush Hager is also making an effort to get her back into the scene and even set her up on a date over the summer.

She said her colleague "never disappoints" when it comes to introducing her to single men, revealing the mystery man is "an architect" and not a celebrity.

However, it seems the two may not have hit it off, as Kotb hasn't mentioned any beaus in recent episodes.