Who Is Joel Schiffman? Today's Hoda Kotb’s Ex-Fiance

Hoda Kotb and her former fiancé, Joel Schiffman, went through a lot together during their nearly nine-year relationship. The Today show star and the handsome financier are the loving parents of their two adopted kids, Haley Joy and Hope Catherine and were previously engaged.

The beloved TV personality shared the news of their future nuptials during an episode of the NBC morning show in November 2019. “I have to tell you something that a friend of mine, a friend of ours, asked me to let you guys in on a secret,” she gushed at the time. “I’ll give you her initials. Her initials are Hoda Kotb, and she’s engaged.”

As she recalled the moment Joel proposed, Hoda revealed he asked for her hand in marriage during a romantic vacation. The I Really Needed This Today author said she was “totally shocked” when her beau popped the question.

“We ended up having a little dinner on the beach … and he was like, ‘I have something else I would like to say,’ and he said some beautiful things and then he got down on one knee,” she marveled. “Then he said, ‘Would you be my wife?”’

Hoda and Joel had been a couple since 2013 and started their family together when they adopted their first child, Haley Joy, in 2017. The TV star and her future hubby expanded their brood when they adopted their second daughter, Hope Catherine, in 2019.

However, Joel and Hoda never made it down the aisle and announced their split in January 2022.

“Joel and I have had a lot of prayerful and meaningful conversations over the holidays and we decided that we are 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 adorably delightful children and as friends,” she revealed during the third hour of Today. “It’s not like something happened. They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, a season or a lifetime, this was for a season.”

That’s not to say they weren’t previously looking forward to exchanging vows, but the coronavirus pandemic put a wrench in the pair’s plans.

In July 2021, the broadcast journalist gave an update on their nuptials, revealing they’ve postponed their wedding a few times because they want their “closest” friends and family to be there. “We’re just trying to make sure that everyone can travel,” she explained on Today. “That’s really what we want to do.”

Besides gathering their friends and family together, an insider told Closer that Haley and Hope were going to “be involved” on their special day.

“It’s all about family for Hoda,” the source said in May 2021, adding the news correspondent wanted to keep the ceremony low-key. “[Hoda] says she already feels married. This is just a party to celebrate their love.”

Although Hoda and Joel are no longer getting married, they’re still on great terms as coparents. Scroll through the gallery below to learn more about the hunk!

They Met at an Event Hoda Didn’t Even Want to Go To

Hoda first met Joel in the summer of 2013 after she spoke at an event for Wall Street professionals. Following the discussion, the brunette beauty was signing some of her books when all of a sudden Joel approached her.

“They asked me to sign some books and one guy is like, ‘Can you sign it to my grandma?’ And this guy walks up and he’s like, ‘I’ll take a book,'” she explained during a segment on the morning talk show in April 2014. “And I was like, ‘Who do you want me to write it to — your girlfriend, your wife, your aunt?’ And he goes, ‘Write it to me.'” Hoda said the rest is history!

She Used to Call Him ‘Boots’ to Keep Him Private

When they began dating around 2013, Hoda used to refer to Joel as “Boots” because she didn’t want to give away his name for privacy reasons. However, their relationship was outed when pics of the two surfaced while they were away on a romantic beach getaway.

“Here’s the thing … you know when you’re keeping something so close to the vest?” the once host asked during a segment on Today. “And I have kept this so close to the vest, I didn’t even say his name. We called him ‘Boots’ forever because we just showed his shoes [on the show].”

They Adopted Their First Daughter in 2017

In February 2017, Hoda and Joel adopted baby girl Haley Joy. Following the incredible adoption, Hoda opened up to People about how her treatment for breast cancer left her unable to conceive.

“I was afraid to even say it out loud, because then it felt so real,” she candidly admitted. “I said, ‘Think about it for a day or a week or whatever.’ And he said, ‘I don’t need a day. Let’s get this journey going.’ At that point I blubbered like a baby. It was like the dam burst.”

He Is a Dad

Aside from being the loving dad of his and Hoda’s adopted daughters, he’s also the proud father of his eldest daughter, Kyle Schiffman. The doting daughter was in full support of her dad’s relationship with the talk show host.

“It’s great to finally see just the two of them are so happy and they love doing the same thing,” Kyle previously gushed to Closer Weekly in an exclusive interview just weeks after her dad’s engagement. “They just enjoy each other’s time and they’re perfect for each other and I love them both so much!”

He Has a Successful Career

Joel was has paved quite the impressive career for himself. Not only did he excel in school, receiving a Bachelors Degree at the University of California and a Masters Degree from the University of Pennsylvania, but he also participated in a lot of extra curricular activities while studying.

The financier has been the vice president and director of financial institutions at Janus Group, a leading global active asset manager that assists clients in achieving their long-term financial goals. Wow!