Get out the wine! Hoda Kotb finally revealed her boyfriend’s name and shared a photo of the couple during the third hour of the Today show on Tuesday, Jan. 20. The co-host hasn’t dared to comment on her beau’s identity now for two years(!) — that is, until the Daily Mail beat her to it.
The site let the cat out of the bag by posting photos of Kotb and her boyfriend, Manhattan financier Joel Schiffman, frolicking on the beach in Miami. The sweet pics, however, were actually shot back in 2013.
Kotb, 50, seemed thrilled to open up about Schiffman, but perhaps not as much as guest co-host Billy Bush. “I can’t believe my luck,” he said. “Hoda, I am here on the day that you’ve been outed.”
Kotb blushed about the photos, even sharing another on her phone. “Here’s the thing, you know when you are keeping something so close to the vest?” she said. “It’s been almost two years, so we were like: ‘Why not?’ He’s out from the shadows!” After gushing about his “physique,” she added: “I feel some relief!”
Despite the secrecy, the couple have actually gone public before. Without confirming his name, Kotb and Schiffman attended the 25th Annual Chris Evert/Raymond James Pro-Celebrity Tennis Classic Gala in Boca Raton, Fla., in November 2014.
In addition, a source tells Us Weekly that Kotb recently introduced Schiffman to her Today family at their holiday party. The insider adds: “It’s pretty serious.”
Kotb was previously married to Burzis Kanga from 2005 to 2007.
