Rumors Are Swirling About What Really Caused Hoda Kotb And Joel Schiffman's Split

So far, 2022 has proven itself to not be the kindest year for TV personality and "Today" show host Hoda Kotb. In early January, Kotb, while vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19, forcing her to take a break from her anchor gig for a short amount of time. Now, Kotb's personal life has taken another hit with the news that she and Joel Schiffman, her partner of over eight years, have finally called it quits. 

During a "Today" segment on January 31. Kotb announced her split from Schiffman, who she became engaged to 2019. While on-air, Kotb shared with millions of viewers that the mutually-decided split came as a result from "prayerful and really meaningful conversations over the holidays," and that she and Schiffman would continue to co-parent their two young daughters, ages 2 and 4. 

And according to Kotb's own admission and what a source told Page Six, the reason the two called it quits makes total sense.

Per Page Six, Hoda Kotb's split from her (now) ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman didn't necessarily adhere to the timeline presented during her official statement on the "TODAY" show. According to an anonymous source who spoke to the tabloid, the decision to part ways had actually been made well before Kotb broke the news. As the source explained, the pair decided to end things around the 2021 holidays, within the same timeframe Kotb said she and Schiffman were just talking about their relationship status. The insider also disclosed Kotb decided to go public with the de-coupling only after fans began to wonder why she had stopped wearing her engagement ring, per Page Six. 

Regardless of the timeline, there seems to be a consensus on the reason why Kotb and Schiffman agreed to part ways: that their marriage simply wouldn't work out in the long run. The source told Page Six that the "TODAY" host realized it during their engagement, and Kotb herself said as much in a later statement. "It's not like something happened," Kotb explained. "They say sometimes relationships are meant to be there for a reason, or a season or for a lifetime. And I feel like ours was meant to be there for a season." And while Kotb and Schiffman might have ended their romance, it doesn't mean they're completely severing ties. As Kotb clarified on-air, she and Schiffman agreed that "our new path as loving parents" and "as friends."