Hoda Kotb Seeks "Soul Connection" After Relationship Epiphany

According to a news report from September 2025, television personality Hoda Kotb has opened up about the end of her relationship and the "epiphany" that preceded it. Kotb recalled that after attending a week-long retreat at the Hoffman Institute in 2024, she felt like "everything had shifted" in her relationship with her then-fiancé, Joel Schiffman.

During the retreat, Kotb made a difficult admission, telling the group, "I am a total phony in my relationships. I'm a pretender." She explained that while the relationship was "good," it wasn't deepening, and she realized she needed to be more honest with herself. Kotb said this moment was "one of the best ten-second decisions" of her life.

Though Kotb still loves and admires Schiffman, she decided they were better off as friends and co-parents to their two adopted daughters. The former couple announced their split in early 2022, with Kotb saying they were "better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple."

Now, Kotb is focused on finding a "soul connection" and is "convinced" that her "person" is out there. She told an interviewer, "I have no doubt in my mind that that exists and that person is out there." Kotb's journey of self-discovery and her search for a deeper relationship have clearly been a significant part of her life in the past year.