Meet Hoda Kotb’s Daughters, Haley and Hope, Shared with Ex Joel Schiffman

Today Show’s Hoda Kotb is a proud mom raising her two daughters, Haley and Hope, with her ex Joel Schiffman.

The 59-year-old anchor adopted Haley and Hope when they were newborns, and they frequently appear on her social media accounts and sometimes even on NBC’s The Today Show. Hoda has been transparent with her daughters about their adoption, often telling Haley, “No, you came from mommy’s heart” when asked if she came from her mommy’s tummy.

The daughters often accompany their mom to the New York studios. In April, after Hoda finished her work in studio 1A, she surprised her daughters by taking them to visit Kelly Clarkson’s studio, where they met Kelly and Meghan Trainor. Despite Hoda and Joel’s split in 2022, they continue to maintain a close relationship for their daughters. On Father’s Day in 2024, Hoda shared a touching photo of the girls snuggling on the sofa with Joel at her waterfront home, captioning it, “Happy Father’s day to the best dad.”

Here’s what we know about Haley, seven, and Hope, five…

Hoda was 52 when she welcomed Haley into her life in 2017. Haley was named after Halley’s comet, which appears once every 70 years. Her middle name, Joy, was chosen to reflect the happiness she brings to the family. “She seemed so one in a million,” Hoda explained during a June 2022 episode of Today. When Haley was born, Hoda called into The Today Show on February 21, 2017, to share her joy, breaking down in tears as she told her co-anchors, “She is the love of my life!”

Jenna Bush Hager was present in the studio at the time, visibly emotional and overjoyed. In 2021, Hoda recounted the moment she first laid eyes on Haley, admitting she couldn’t recall who was carrying the baby because her focus was entirely on her new daughter.

Speaking to People, Hoda said, “They put her in my arms … she fit like she was born there. I looked down and these eyes were looking at me, and I thought to myself, ‘Forever, for as long as I am breathing, you will be protected and loved and cared for.'” She continued, “She felt like mine right then. It didn’t take any time. It happened instantly for me.”

In 2018, Hoda published a children’s book, I’ve Loved You Since Forever, dedicated to Haley.

Two years after adopting Haley, Hoda welcomed another baby, Hope, into the family. Naming Hope was a straightforward decision, reflecting Joel and Hoda’s continuous hope to expand their family. Hoda explained, “That’s what we’d been doing, was hoping, and then she came. That was just simple.” She called into The Today Show to announce the news, sharing that Haley enjoyed being a big sister.

“This morning at breakfast, (Haley) was trying to feed (Hope) her raspberries, and I was like, ‘Not yet, babe,'” Hoda told Today Show viewers. “(Haley) was literally marching around saying, ‘I’m a big sister!'”

Hoda shared her overwhelming feelings about expanding their family, hoping that it would happen. “To get the call is so mind-blowing, you can’t believe someone’s saying, ‘Come and get her, she’s here.’ It’s amazing.”

In March 2023, when Hope was three, Hoda took a break from The Today Show to care for her daughter, who had been hospitalized with an illness. “My youngest, Hope, was in the ICU for a few days and in the hospital for a little more than a week,” Hoda shared at the time. “I’m so grateful she’s home. She is back home. I was waiting for that day to come. And we are watching her closely. I’m just so happy.”

“You know what I realized, too, Savannah? When your child is ill, the amount of gratitude you can have,” she said, reflecting on the experience.

In August 2023, Hoda announced that she had written another book, Hope is Like a Rainbow, dedicated to her second daughter.

Source: People