**Hoda Kotb Reminisces About Ex-Fiancé Joel Schiffman’s Heartfelt ‘I Love You’ Moment**
Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for SiriusXM
Hoda Kotb, 59, fondly recalled a significant moment in her relationship with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, 66, during a recent episode of **Today With Hoda & Jenna**. When asked by cohost Jenna Bush Hager if she had ever said “I love you” first, Kotb revealed that neither she nor Schiffman had taken the initiative in their previous relationships.
Kotb was previously married to Burzis Kanga from 2005 to 2008 and later began dating Schiffman in 2013. The couple got engaged six years later, but eventually called it quits in 2022 after eight years together.
Looking back on the moment when Schiffman first said “I love you,” Kotb recalled: “After he said it, [he said], ‘Don’t let me blow out here in the wind by myself, now.’ … And I said to him, I remember it, I said, ‘No. I just want to feel this for a second before I say something, before I respond.’ Because sometimes you’re so quick to respond, you don’t ever get to receive the thing.”
Kotb’s cohost, Bush Hager, found the memory to be sweet, likening it to a Hallmark movie. Kotb playfully referenced her cohost’s upcoming Hallmark Christmas movie, **Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story**.
Joel Schiffman with their daughters. Courtesy of Hoda Kotb/Instagram
Kotb and Schiffman adopted their daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. The couple announced their split in January 2022 and have since maintained a positive co-parenting relationship.
In recent months, Kotb has begun to open up about her experiences with breakups and dating, encouraging her audience to step out of their comfort zones and explore new relationships.