The Most Heartwarming Things ‘Today’ Host Hoda Kotb Has Said About Motherhood

Today host Hoda Kotb is always gushing about her family. The NBC star and her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, are proud coparents to their daughters Hope Catherine and Haley Joy. When she’s not leading daytime television with cohost Jenna Bush Hager, Hoda is spending time with her adorable kids and radiating happiness.

Hoda and Joel got engaged in 2019. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic pushed back their wedding several times. Their wedding date remained uncertain before she announced during a January 2022 episode of Today that they had broken up. Though the couple are no longer together, there is one thing that is undeniable: Their family always comes first.

“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,” she told viewers at the time.

It’s clear that the girls are Hoda’s pride and joy. Both Haley and Hope were welcomed via adoption. Hoda opened up about the adoption process and how her life changed once she adopted her eldest daughter in 2017.

“You’re standing in a room waiting, and somebody walks in holding your daughter. I was exploding in tears,” she told People. “I thought they were going to take her away and say, ‘No, we have a hysterical freak here, get that baby back!’”

Hoda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and was unable to conceive after undergoing treatment. The New York Times best-selling author’s biggest dream was always to become a mother. Once she began the adoption process, she wasn’t sure how long it would take. Hoda quickly adapted to motherhood and taking care of Haley, declaring on the Today show, “She is the love of my life.”

In 2019, the Oklahoma native announced to the world that she adopted another baby girl named Hope. She revealed in October 2021 that she told both of her daughters they were adopted. 

“I tell them they were adopted, and I’m not sure if they 100 percent know what that means,” Hoda said on the “Me Becoming Mom” podcast. “I always say, ‘You didn’t come from Mommy’s tummy, you came from my heart.’ And they understand that.”

Keep scrolling to read the most heartwarming things Hoda has said about motherhood.