Four years after Hoda Kotb and financier Joel Schiffman called off their engagement, the journalist seems to be moving on to a new beau.
Kotb and Schiffman got engaged in November 2019. However, in January of 2022, the couple announced they had mutually called off the engagement after eight years together.
With her recent comments, however, fans are questioning what might be ahead for the TV correspondent.
In an appearance with her former “The Today Show” hosts Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager, the veteran television host shared a surprising new personal development.
The anchor said she met a handsome stranger on a flight. According to the Daily Mail, Kotb said she and the mystery man had such a strong connection that it left them both in tears afterward.
“It was the weirdest connection in the world. It was strange. You know, when you have one of those… everything is firing on all cylinders?’ Kotb shared. “He kept saying, ‘Is this a dream? Is this real?’”
Despite their connection, they went their separate ways after the flight. However, good fortune was on their side, and they ran into each other again at a business meeting.
“Our company went to Cannes so we could talk about our company, and he was in the audience, randomly,” she recalled.
Although they greeted each other and it kind of all went away, the award-winning broadcaster divulged they had exchanged numbers and were texting.
“Look. There are connections. I don’t know what it is,” Kotb added, before going on to call him “very cute” and “very handsome.”
This sweet comment signals a new chapter for the celebrated TV host, who ended her previous engagement years ago.
Hoda Kotb And Joel Schiffman Called Off Their Engagement Four Years Ago
Just two years shy of a decade together, Kotb and Schiffman had called off their four-year engagement.
The news was confirmed by the television host in an appearance on the “Today” show. She explained why she had not been seen wearing her engagement ring.
“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 announced, as reported by The Blast.
The duo is parents to their two adopted daughters, Haley Joy Kotb and Hope Catherine Kotb. Despite no longer being together, the couple has ended on good terms.
Hoda Kotb Revealed She Was Sure Love Would Happen For Her Again
Several months after the split, the then 58-year-old made an unexpected confession that she was very sure she would find love again, stating she had a “Spidey-sense” about it.
She recalled a conversation with her sister, who once asked if she was afraid of being by herself. However, Kotb replied, “I am not going to be by myself, revealing she could sometimes feel him, even though she did not know what he looked like.
As reported by The Blast, the former “NBC Dateline” correspondent was so sure of her intuition that if she were told she would meet someone by Christmas, a month after her statement, she would have been okay with it.
Hoda Kotb Revealed The Moment She Knew Relationship To Joel Schiffman Was Over
While the 62-year-old looked ahead to a new phase, she also reflected on the relationship she left behind. In her 2025 book, “Jump And Find Joy,” Kotb revealed the moment she realized her relationship had come to an end.
According to People Magazine, an excerpt of the book revealed the decision came after attending a week-long retreat at the “Hoffman Institute.”
The retreat was aimed at helping people make significant positive changes in their lives, and Kotb felt that “everything had shifted,” including her relationship with ex-fiancé Schiffman.
The author also disclosed that while at the retreat, she felt compelled to tell the real reason she was there after hearing everyone be so raw and open.
“‘I am a total phony in my relationships. ‘I’m a pretender,’ she admitted. The former host shared how difficult the admission was for her, but that she felt at peace afterward.
NBC Staff Were Reportedly Fed Up With Hoda Kotb After Her Departure
While Kotb continues to be open about her romantic life, her professional life also drew attention for a totally different reason.
A year after leaving her co-anchor role on “Today,” Kotb reportedly faced backlash from her former colleagues while she tried to develop her YouTube series “Joy Rides.”
According to insiders, Kotb reportedly continues to return to former colleagues to seek favors, thereby becoming a source of grief to colleagues who are already overwhelmed.
This has seemed to bring mockery to the former host, with colleagues questioning her career move, per The Blast.
