The 'Today' host announced her split from Joel Schiffman in January.
Hoda Kotb is having no trouble co-parenting with ex Joel Schiffman. In a new interview with People, the 58-year-old morning show anchor opens up about the healthy way she and the 64-year-old balance time with their daughters, 5-year-old Haley, and 3-year-old Hope, and praises Schiffman for his fatherly ways.
"Sometimes relationships evolve. Sometimes perfectly nice people can go their separate ways. Sometimes a relationship ends on your last breath, and sometimes it ends before that, and that's okay," Kotb tells People. "I don't regret one day, not one minute, not one second of our time together because it brought me here. I have two incredible children I share with him. And it's because of Joel that I have Haley and Hope, without question. I think I might have been too afraid to do it alone. That's not something I love to admit, but it's true."
Kotb goes on to share that she and Schiffman have nailed their co-parenting ways. "He'll have a Saturday, and I'll do the Sunday," she explains. "We switch each week. He'll take the girls and do some fun things, and I'll take some quiet time. It's a healthy mix, and the kids love it. He's a great dad."
Along with the help of two nannies, Kotb credits communication as key to her and Schiffman's co-parenting success. "'Does that work for you?' 'Do you need me to change that?' We're very open about fixing things so that everybody's needs are being met," she says. "He's a great dad — but I also know I'm on the right road."
Kotb and Schiffman ended their engagement in January. Kotb shared the news during an episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna, saying, "Joel and I have had, we've had a lot of prayerful and really meaningful conversations over the holidays, and we decided that we're better as friends and parents than we are as an engaged couple."
“He’s a great guy, and he’s a very kind and loving person, and I feel privileged to have spent eight years with him," she added. "We are both good, and we are both going on our way and our path, and we’ll be good parents to those two lovely kids."
Following their split, Kotb spoke out about the potential of finding romance again in the future.
"I haven't really thought about who I would see myself with, but I do have to say something," Kotb said during an event celebrating Today's 70th anniversary in May. "My sister even said and asked me at one point, 'Are you afraid to be by yourself?' And I said to her, 'I'm not going to be by myself.'"
"And I don't know why I said it so clearly, but I actually knew that my heart is open. I have an open heart," she continued. "It's not hard. It's not covered over. So, I know at some point and I can see it, it will happen. When? I can't say, but I assured her, I said, 'Oh, don't worry. No worries. I'm gonna be just fine.'"
That same month, Kotb spoke to ET about her life as a single woman. "I'm really enjoying my kids and my life," she gushed. "I'm treasuring this time."
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