Who is Hoda Kotb’s ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman? Former Today host honors financier in rare message on Father’s Day

Former Today host Hoda Kotb appreciated her former fiancé, Joel Schiffman, on Father’s Day. Posting images of Schiffman with their two daughters, Haley and Hope, on social media, Kotb wrote,

"A great father’s day for a great dad ! Happy father’s day Joel!”

Joel Schiffman is a financier who is currently the chief revenue officer at BidMoni Inc., according to his LinkedIn. Previously, Schiffman headed strategic partnerships at Schroder Investment Management. Joel Schiffman, who graduated from UCLA after studying economics, got certified in investment management analysis from the Wharton School, as noted on his LinkedIn page.

Joel Schiffman and Hoda Kotb’s relationship, explored

Joel Schiffman and Hoda Kotb met each other in 2013, when the former television host attended a Wall Street event. According to People Magazine, Kotb revealed how she met Schiffman during an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she said,

“When I was leaving, they said, 'You need to sign a few pictures.' He was next in line and he goes, 'Can you sign this?' And I said, 'Who should I write it to?' And he said, 'How about to me?' I asked someone from the place — I asked, 'Will you find out his situation?’”

Recalling how they began dating, Kotb continued,

“Because I didn't know anything about him. I knew he didn't have a wedding ring, but that's all I knew. Then she emailed him and he emailed me and asked me out on a date.”

As per People Magazine, while Kotb and Schiffman began dating in 2013, they kept their relationship under wraps for about two years.

Kotb and Schiffman have two daughters together, Haley and Hope. Kotb first announced that she had adopted Haley in 2017, and two years later, she adopted Hope, as per CNN.

In 2019, Kotb broke the news of her engagement to Joel Schiffman during an episode of the Today show, surprising her co-hosts, who burst out in screams of approval and congratulations on air. Revealing that she was engaged, Kotb said,

“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. I’ll give you her initials. Her initials are Hoda Kotb, and she's engaged.”

Later, during Today with Hoda and Jenna, Kotb described how Schiffman proposed and said,

“I guess he was carrying the ring around. He brought it with him when we were on our little, we went on a couple day vacation. And I guess he had it tucked away in his pocket. And this is how cool he was — we were out, we had so much fun…no, like, zero indication.”

Kotb went on to narrate her romantic dinner with Schiffman and continued,

“And then all of a sudden, he got down on one knee and he said, ‘Would you be my wife?’ He was crying, I was crying, and I looked at him, and I thought to myself, 'Oh my God, like, this is that thing.”

US Weekly noted that Kotb and Schiffman were planning a destination wedding in 2020, which they put on hold in light of the pandemic.

Two years later, the couple split because of the different directions their lives had taken. During an episode of Today with Hoda and Jenna, Kotb addressed the split and said,

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“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.”

Hoda Kotb and Joel Schiffman continued to emphasize that they would remain friends and parent their daughters together.

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