NEWSHoda Kotb Praises Ex-Fiancé Joel Schiffman as the 'Best Dad' on His Birthday Nearly 5 Years After Split
Former ‘Today’ show host Hoda Kotb praised her ex-fiance, Joel Schiffman, as the ‘best dad’ nearly five years after their 2021 split.
March 23 2026, Published 4:53 p.m. ET
Hoda Kotb praised her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, for his dedication as a father nearly five years after their split.
The former Today show host, 61, marked Schiffman's 68th birthday with a tribute post shared via Instagram on Sunday, March 22.
Hoda Kotb Praised Her Ex-Fiancé as the 'Best Dad'
Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman split in 2021.
"Happy bday to the best DAD!!!" she captioned a carousel of photos of her ex with their two daughters, Hope, 6, and Haley, 9.
The photo series began with the father-of-two, all smiles, as his children sat on his lap, enjoying a birthday meal. An adorable hand-written card could be seen in the background with the large words, "I love you so much."
A second photo showed the former couple posing in front of unicorn-themed decorations, as they cut a cake topped off with white frosting and blue sprinkles.
Fans Reacted to Hoda Kotb's Birthday Tribute
Fans praised the exes' coparenting relationship.
"What a beautiful family ✨💘," one admirer said in the comments section, while another user wrote, "What a beautiful family you and Joel. Many blessings always."
"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," a third added.
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Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman Split in 2021
Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman got engaged in 2019.
Kotb and Schiffman got engaged nearly two years before their 2021 split. The exes adopted their two daughters in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
Following their failed engagement, the talk show host emphasized that they were committed to their coparenting relationship and would continue to be "loving parents to our adorable, delightful children."
Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman Are Committed to Peacefully Coparenting
Hoda Kotb emphasized that she and Joel Schiffman are committed to coparenting their two daughters.
"Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holidays and we decided that we're better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple, so we decided we are going to start this new year ... on our new path as loving parents to our adorable, delightful children, and as friends," Kotb said during an episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna.
She continued, "It's not like something happened. They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, or a season or for a lifetime. And I feel like ours was meant to be there for a season."
