destination wedding the following month.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak put a spanner in the couple's plans again. The television anchor had to tell one of her guests, Maria Shriver, who called to confirm the date, that the wedding was postponed again.
Kotb still wished to have a beach wedding or one in Mexico, but instead, she and Schiffman would host the ceremony closer to home in the summer of 2021. She still saw herself having a beach wedding and anticipated it being held somewhere in New York.
The star explained that they didn't want to travel during the pandemic and worried guests wouldn't be able to make it because of restrictions. She thought the ceremony would end up becoming more intimate because of COVID-19.
In July 2021, while co-hosting "Today with Hoda & Jenna," Kotb explained that they were trying to make sure all their invited guests could travel to their ceremony. The couple tried to avoid their guests catching COVID-19 all because they wanted to be at their wedding.
Ultimately, the "This Just Speaks to Me" author settled for a wedding in November 2021, as she announced in February 2021 on her show with Jenna Bush Hager. She also shared that she hoped her wedding song would be Van Morrison's "Someone Like You."
By January 2022, Kotb's wedding still hadn't happened, and she was spotted without her engagement ring and explained why. In an emotional statement, she told Jenna Bush-Hager that she and Schiffman had some serious conversations over the holidays.
She said they'd decided that they were better off as co-parents and friends instead of an engaged couple. They chose to start the year on a different path, with the focus being on their daughters and friendship.
The first child the couple adopted, Haley Joy Kotb, was welcomed during their eight-year relationship in 2017. During a phone call to her "Today" colleagues, Kotb revealed that her daughter was born on Valentine's Day.
She also described the little girl as "the love of my life!" The news anchor was already 52 when she welcomed her first child and had her boyfriend's support, but she wasn't done with her parenting journey.
Kotb also explained that her daughter was named after Halley's Comet because she pictured the little girl sailing across the sky. The name was also an alliteration the star shared with her sister, Hala, and her niece, Hannah. Meanwhile, Haley's middle name reflected all the joy she brought to her parents.
In 2019, they welcomed a new addition to the family when the couple adopted little Hope Catherine Kotb. The little girl got her first name from her adoptive mother after seeing the word "hope" appearing 10 million times in her journal as she wrote about her desire to have a second child. Her second name honored Kotb's best friend.
The star met Karen Swensen in 1994 when they were working at WWL-TV and became friends. Swensen supported Kotb with her breast cancer battle in her 40s, and the anchor did the same when her friend lost her husband.
Hope's middle name, Catherine, honors Kotb's best friend, who has a daughter by the same name. Swensen is so close to the celebrity that she and her daughter previously visited "Today's" fourth hour as part of their first Best Friend Friday.
With regards to how the television personality co-parents her daughters effortlessly, in August 2022, she revealed that she and Schiffman "have it down." The star said her ex takes their daughters on a Saturday, and Sunday will be her day, and they switch the rotation weekly.
Kotb shares how when her ex-boyfriend takes the children to do fun activities, that's when she gets to have some peace and quiet. She feels it is healthy that way, and the children love it, plus, Joel is a "great dad." She confessed:
"Family to me is everything— and having one of my own is something I never thought I'd have."
Since breaking up with her ex, Kotb hasn't landed in a permanent relationship. Instead, she's comfortable with being on her own and a mother to her little children but is open to receiving love.
On June 1, 2023, "Sex and the City" celebrated the 25th anniversary of its premiere by interviewing several people, and Kotb was one of them. When asked how the series has influenced her life, the star shared a glimpse into her personal affairs.
Hoda Kotb on season 72 of the "Today" show on October 18, 2023 | Source: Getty Images
The television anchor said the show "made being single cool" and left her feeling "empowered" instead of left out. She believes everyone's life has been impacted by the HBO series, noting how many people sat alone in their apartments, wondering if they were the only single ones. Kotb felt it made single people realize they weren't alone and having friends counted as having good relationships, and that is enough.
During "Today's" 70th anniversary in May 2022, Kotb confessed to not having thought about what type of person she saw herself dating. The celebrity revealed that her sister once asked her if she isn't "afraid" of being alone. The star's empowering and confident response is that she isn't going to be alone because she knows her heart is open.
In August 2022, Hoda confirmed that she might not be in the dating scene "this second," but she is open to anything. However, she knows her next partner will be meeting her real self, who is more comfortable with herself.
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