Two months after Hoda Kotb announced her split from ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman, the former couple are amicably coparenting their two daughters.
“He sees the kids,” the Today show cohost, 57, exclusively told Us Weekly of the 64-year-old financier ahead of being honored at the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame Awards 30th Anniversary Gala on Thursday, April 14. “He takes them to school some, and he sees them on weekends. We’ve got a really nice, easy situation.”
The journalist added that she and the Colorado native are trying to do their “best” while raising daughters Haley, 5, and Hope, 3, explaining, “We make sure that the kids get plenty of him and plenty of me.”
When asked whether they’re “close friends,” the You Are My Happy author replied, “Yeah, we are.”
The exes became parents in February 2017 when they adopted Haley, followed by Hope two years later. When it comes to adopting baby No. 3, Kotb’s mindset is “never say never.”
The Oklahoma native, who is “not really dating” at the moment, explained to Us, “I think love is a funny thing. Like, you heart has a large capacity and who knows what fills it up. But I think whatever it is, you’ve got to be open and ready.”
For now, the Where They Belong author is focusing on her girls’ milestones. “Haley’s calling me ‘poopie mom,’ so that’s a big [one],” Kotb joked on Thursday. “That’s happening right now, and I can’t get it to stop! Hope is 3, and she’s talking up a storm.”
As a working mom, the Daytime Emmy winner has “inevitably” experienced guilt but wants Haley and Hope to see her working, Kotb exclusively told Us in August 2018.
“My mom was a working mom and she never said, ‘Mommy wishes she could be home,’” the Virginia Tech grad explained at the time. “I want Haley to know you can be a loving mom and also be a multifaceted person. Would I like to spend every waking second with her? Yes. But I also know that to be happy, you have to have other things you enjoy. I want her to know work is a good thing if that’s what she wants to do.”
With reporting by Diana Cooper
