Jan. 31 (UPI) — “Today” host Hoda Kotb and her fiancé, Joel Schiffman, have gone their separate ways.
Kotb confirmed her split from Schiffman during Monday’s episode of “Today.”
“Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and really meaningful conversations over the holidays, and we decided that we’re better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple,” Kotb said.
“So we decided that we are going to start this new year and begin it kind of on our new path as loving parents to our adorable, delightful children, and as friends,” she added.
Kotb and Schiffman have two daughters, Haley Joy, 4, and Hope Catherine, 2.
“He’s a great guy, and he’s a very kind and loving person, and I feel privileged to have spent eight years with him,” Kotb said. “We are both good, and we are both going on our way and our path, and we’ll be good parents to those two lovely kids.”
Kotb addressed the split after fans questioned why she wasn’t wearing her engagement ring and voiced her relief after sharing the news.
“It’s not like something happened,” she said. “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.”
Kotb and Schiffman got engaged in November 2019 and were forced to delay their wedding due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pair were planning to adopt a third child but the process was also delayed due to the health crisis.
