Hoda Kotb kicks off the Thanksgiving holiday with a surprise birthday party for her brother
Hoda Kotb kicked off the holiday season with a surprise birthday party for her brother as she reunited with her family ahead of her first Thanksgiving as a single mom.
The Today co-anchor, 58, shares two adopted daughters — Haley Joy, five, and Hope Catherine, three — with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, 64, whom she divorced earlier this year.
Kotb took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a heartwarming video of her loved ones singing “Happy Birthday” to her younger brother, Adel, after he and his family arrived at her home in New York City.
Hoda Kotb, 58, is spending the Thanksgiving holiday in New York City with her mother, daughters, siblings, sister-in-law and nieces (pictured in her apartment)
The Today star kicked off the holiday with a surprise party for her younger brother, Abel
Hope excitedly ran to give her uncle a birthday hat as he passed through the colorful metal streamers hanging from the door.
“Thank you,” said Abel, who was accompanied by his wife Colleen and two daughters, Hannah and Ella.
Kotb’s mother, Sameha, and her sister, Hala, were already singing in her apartment when the rest of their family arrived.
The journalist also shared a snapshot of herself smiling from ear to ear as she posed with her mother, siblings, nieces, sister-in-law and children in her home.
Kotb took to Instagram on Tuesday to share a heartwarming video of her loved ones singing “Happy Birthday” to her younger brother
Kotb’s three-year-old daughter, Hope, excitedly ran over to give her uncle a birthday hat when he walked through the door
“Happy birthday little brother!!!” she captioned the post and added the hashtag “#togetherfortheholidays.”
Kotb’s family is likely to gather at her apartment for the holidays, as she and her co-star Savannah Guthrie will host the NBC broadcast Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday.
Speaking to DailyMail.com last week, the mom-of-two shared how she and Schiffman plan to balance their co-parenting responsibilities over the holiday season.
“What we put first is that children need their parents, their mother and father,” she said. “Once you know that, you’re like, ‘Okay, let’s go from there. How do we make that work?’ It’s that simple.’
“Thank you,” said Abel, who was accompanied by his wife, Colleen, and two daughters, Hannah and Ella
Kotb’s mother, Sameha, and her sister, Hala, were already in her apartment singing happily when the rest of their family arrived
Kotb’s oldest daughter, five-year-old Haley, gave her cousin a big hug during the reunion
The TV star continued, “I want my girls to know their father’s love, which they will and will have throughout their lives. It’s all logistics, but we’ll all work it out. If your goal is happy children, which I think is the cornerstone. Happy children make for happy times.’
When it comes to her next big relationship, she shared that she ‘knows in her soul’ that she will fall in love again.
“I feel like once you know in your soul that eventually something will happen, it will happen,” she explained. “It doesn’t really stress me out, not once did I say, ‘When is it going to happen?’ I think the person will show up when they should. I have no doubt it will happen.’
Reflecting on the need to get to the right person, she mused, “If someone feels confident and full and whole, then someone will come in.” Then that’s your man.
“But if you’re feeling less than and insecure and someone comes in and has to support you, that’s not your man. That’s for then. When you get up, it’s almost like, “What’s this crutch? That’s not what I needed.”
Kotb will celebrate her first Thanksgiving as a single mom on Thursday following her split from her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman
Kotb and Schiffman had been together for eight years and engaged for two years when she announced their split on the Today show in late January.
Kotb was previously married to former tennis coach Burzis Kanga. They had been together for less than two years when she filed for divorce in 2007.
She met Schiffman at a book signing in 2013, and they hit it off right away. After four years together, they decided to pursue adoption to grow their family.
Kotb, who was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 42 years old, came off treatment unable to conceive.
She previously admitted that she had been nervous about bringing up the topic of adoption with Schiffman, but she decided to have the emotional conversation.
“I remember going to talk to Joel about it… my heart was pounding. I guess I was afraid of the answer, to be honest. But I knew I had to say something, I had to ask,” she told DailyMail.com in 2018.
Speaking to DailyMail.com last week, she shared how they plan to balance their co-parenting duties over the holiday season, saying their kids come first
“What we put at the center is that children need their parents, their mother and father,” she explained
Kotb made it clear that he should feel free to take as much time as he needed to think it over, but he readily agreed.
They adopted their daughter Haley Joy in 2017 and welcomed their daughter Hope Catherine two years later.
Schiffman popped the ask in a romantic getaway in Mexico in 2019, but they had to postpone their destination wedding three times due to the pandemic.
They had been together for eight years and engaged for two years when she announced their split on the Today show in late January. The news came just weeks after they celebrated Christmas and New Year with their daughters.
Kotb had been open about their desire to adopt a third child while they were together, but their plans to expand their family had been delayed by the pandemic and their eventual breakup.