Hoda Kotb rang in her birthday with her loved ones by her side, including her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman.
“Birthday just getting started— and already overwhelmed! ❤️❤️,” Kotb wrote alongside a montage of photos and clips from her 61st birthday celebration via Instagram on Saturday, August 9. Schiffman appeared twice in the post, first at a family lunch outing and again alongside more of Kotb’s family members for a birthday dinner at her home.
Kotb’s dining room was decked out with birthday banners and balloons, as well as a bouquet of sunflowers. After grabbing lunch at a waterfront restaurant, the group appeared to go fishing before returning to Kotb’s house for dinner. The post also featured a sweet clip of Kotb’s new puppy, Waffles, whom she adopted last month.
Along with Schiffman, Kotb celebrated her birthday with her siblings, Hala and Adel, and her two daughters, Haley and Hope, whom she shares with Schiffman. (The pair were together for eight years before Kotb announced their split on a January 2022 episode of Today.)
Several celebrities and fans wished Kotb a happy birthday in the post’s comments. “Happy birthday,” wrote Octavia Spencer, while Maria Shriver shared, “Happy happy my dearest hoda i love you i see you let’s go.”
“Happy Birthday Hoda! You are beloved by so many…joyful, kind, loving, caring, and fun! 🥳☀️🎂,” one fan commented. Another added, “Happy Birthday @hodakotb you are the epitome of grace kindness and light sending you lots of love and best wishes ❤️🥳🎂.”
Schiffman has popped up on Kotb’s social media several times in the years since their breakup, mostly in photos with their daughters. “A great father’s day for a great dad ! Happy father’s day Joel!” Kotb captioned Instagram pics of her ex with Haley and Hope on June 15.
Schiffman also sported matching PJs with Kotb and their kids last Christmas. “Merry Christmas🎄🎄,” Kotb captioned December 2024 Instagram pics of the family of four rocking reindeer pajama tops and red plaid bottoms.
Saturday marked Kotb’s first birthday since leaving NBC’s Today earlier this year. The TV personality previously cited turning 60 as one of the main reasons behind her exit. She celebrated her milestone birthday during a special August 2024 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna (now Today With Jenna & Friends).
“I remembered standing outside, looking at this beautiful bunch of people with all these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me,’ and I thought, ‘It can’t get better,’” she recalled of the on-air special during a September 2024 episode of Today. “And [I] decided that this is the right time for me to, kind of, move on.”
She continued, “Obviously, I had my kiddos late in life — and I was thinking they deserve a bigger piece of my time, the pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world.”
Kotb officially bid farewell to Today on January 10. Since her exit, she has launched her own wellness company, Joy 101, and announced her new book, Jump and Find Joy, which hits bookshelves next month.