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Hoda Kotb is stepping into a fresh chapter of her life, and her friends are thrilled with her journey.
The 61-year-old TV personality made a surprise appearance on the November 25 episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends. While her reunion with Jenna Bush Hager was heartwarming, things quickly took a humorous turn when Andy Cohen decided to bring up Hoda’s current single status.
Having embraced her newfound freedom after her divorce, Hoda shared with Jenna and Andy how she has become more open to hosting gatherings, especially for her daughters, Haley, 8, and Hope, 6.
“This is happening at my place! I’m inviting people over! I’m throwing parties!” she exclaimed, sounding both surprised and pleased with her newfound social life.
Andy, of course, couldn’t resist diving into the topic that everyone was curious about.
“Are you hosting gentleman callers?” he asked, as Hoda’s jaw literally dropped.
Jenna, of course, couldn’t resist chiming in: “I’m sure there are.”
Andy kept the bit going, joking, “Knock knock… Uncle Tony’s here. Hope, go make Uncle Tony that drink he likes. Extra olives!”
Once the laughter settled, Hoda turned the tables and asked Andy how he navigates dating as a single parent. His response? He’s not exactly hitting the town, either. Hoda admitted she’s in the same boat.
“It’s hard. It’s confusing, and it’s hard… but you find a way,” she said. “I have gone out a little bit. Not on dates yet.”
Ever the instigator, Andy suggested she “roll up in guys’ DMs” and drop a strategic flame emoji. Jenna was immediately on board, cheering, “Is there anybody we should DM right now?”
Hoda has been open about rebuilding her life since ending her engagement to Joel Schiffman in 2022, following eight years together. The pair share their two daughters and remain committed co-parents.
“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,” she said at the time. “It’s not like something happened… This was for a season.”
Before Joel, Hoda was married to tennis coach Burzis Kanga from 2005 to 2008 — a marriage she later admitted she felt nudged into.
“We let the idea that we should be married by now influence us,” she wrote in her memoir, Jump and Find Joy. “I didn’t jump into marriage as much as I slipped into it.”
Now? Hoda’s taking her time, hosting parties, and maybe — just maybe — leaving the door slightly open for those “gentlemen callers” Andy keeps teasing about.