Hoda Kotb Opens Up About the Possibility of Adopting Baby No. 3: “All the Answers Seem to Say Yes”

NEW YORK — Television personality Hoda Kotb is opening her heart — and her home — to the possibility of expanding her family once again. The beloved Today co-anchor, 56, revealed in an interview with People magazine that she and her longtime partner Joel Schiffman, 62, have been seriously considering adopting a third child.

“It’s funny,” Kotb said with her characteristic warmth and optimism. “I think to myself — and I’ve obviously had a conversation with Joel about it, many conversations — but I feel like, well, can we? Yes. Will our family be better with it? Yes. Do we have enough love in the house? Yes.”

Her words are simple but heartfelt — the reflections of a mother who has already found deep joy through adoption and motherhood later in life.

A Family Built on Love

Kotb and Schiffman, a New York financier, began dating in 2013 after meeting at a book signing event. They’ve since built a loving and grounded partnership centered around family. In February 2017, Kotb adopted her first daughter, Haley Joy, and in April 2019, she welcomed a second daughter, Hope Catherine, also through adoption.

“I don’t think I knew what my purpose was until I became a mom,” Kotb has said in past interviews. “My life took on a meaning that it never had before.”

Now, with Haley and Hope growing up fast, Hoda admits she’s been feeling the familiar tug of maternal instinct once again.

A Conversation That Keeps Coming Back

Kotb said that discussions about a possible third adoption have been ongoing in her household — though she and Schiffman are careful to approach the idea with both excitement and practicality.

“It’s not something we take lightly,” she explained. “We know it’s a big decision, but every time we think about it, the answers keep pointing to yes. Every question I ask myself ends with a yes.”

For Kotb, those “yeses” aren’t just emotional — they’re spiritual. She has often spoken about her faith and her belief that life unfolds as it’s meant to.

“I don’t think any of this was by accident,” she said. “Haley and Hope were meant to be in my life. And if another little soul is meant to come to us, then that’s what will happen.”

Parenting Through the Pandemic

Kotb’s comments come at a time when family life has taken on new meaning for millions of Americans. Like so many parents, she found herself spending unprecedented time at home with her children during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s a different world,” she said of the shift in her routine. “I didn’t know that I’d ever get this much time with my kids, and I’ve loved every second of it.”

Balancing motherhood and her demanding television career wasn’t always easy, but Kotb said the pandemic slowed life down in unexpected and meaningful ways.

“I used to rush from the studio to events, to shoots, to everything,” she reflected. “But during those months at home, I learned to sit on the floor and build blocks, to just be there — and it was beautiful.”

The Gift of Motherhood

Kotb has long been candid about her journey to motherhood. After surviving breast cancer in 2007, she was told that the treatment had made it unlikely for her to conceive biologically. For years, she kept that heartbreak private, unsure if she would ever have children.

“I remember thinking my motherhood window had closed,” she told People. “But then life surprised me. I met Joel. I started to dream again.”

That dream became a reality when she adopted Haley Joy at age 52 — a decision that reshaped her entire world. Two years later, Hope Catherine joined the family, and Kotb’s joy multiplied.

“I feel like my heart just expanded,” she said of becoming a mom of two. “It’s amazing how love doesn’t divide — it multiplies.”

A Future Full of Possibility

While Kotb and Schiffman have not confirmed any formal adoption plans, insiders close to the couple say that “the door is very much open.” Both are committed to ensuring that any future addition to their family feels just as cherished and secure as their two daughters.

Kotb has also spoken publicly about how adoption changed her perspective on life, love, and timing. “Some of the best things in life don’t happen on your schedule,” she once said on Today. “They happen when your heart is ready.”

And as she now looks ahead, Kotb’s heart seems more than ready.

“I feel lucky every day,” she told People. “If we’re meant to have another little one, I know it’ll happen when it’s supposed to. For now, I just wake up grateful — for Joel, for my girls, and for all the love we’ve already got.”

A Love That Keeps Growing

Kotb’s warmth and authenticity have made her one of America’s most trusted morning show hosts, but it’s her openness about motherhood that continues to resonate with viewers. Whether she’s interviewing world leaders or sharing tender stories about her daughters on air, she embodies a message that’s deeply human: family is what you build, and love always has room to grow.

For Hoda Kotb, that love may soon grow again — one more little heartbeat at a time.