When Hoda Kotb announced she was separating from her fiance,
Kathie Lee Gifford quickly shared her thoughts on her friend's shocking announcement.
So what did the former Today co-host say about Kotb's separation? Keep watching to find out.
Shocking friends and fans alike, Hoda Kotb announced on the January 31, 2022 episode of
Today with Hoda & Jenna that she and her fiancé, Joel Schiffman, were parting ways. Noting that she
had gotten a lot of fan mail asking why she wasn't wearing her engagement ring,
Kotb explained to co-host Jenna Bush Hager that, after much thought and discussion,
"And we decided
that we're better as friends and parents than we are as partners than we are as an engaged couple."
It was an unexpected reversal for the veteran morning show host, who
had announced her engagement to Schiffman in 2019.
"Her initials are Hoda Kotb and she's engaged."
The couple had planned a beach wedding for 2020, but the pandemic cut those plans short.
The split happened over the 2021 winter holidays, she explained, but it was an amicable breakup:
"He's a great guy. He's a really kind and loving
person. And I feel privileged to have spent eight years with him."
Kotb vowed that they would both be devoted to their young daughters,
Haley and Hope. The show's Instagram page announcement quickly drew nearly 500,000 likes
and tons of sympathetic messages from not only viewers, but also friends such
as Alex Guarnaschelli. But Kotb must have been especially heartened to see one particular person
in the comments section: Kathie Lee Gifford, her former Today co-host, wrote to offer her support.
Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb kept morning viewers entertained for 11 years on the Today
show, stopping only when Gifford left the show in 2019 to pursue acting and writing
projects. The two developed a bond that continues today, and when Kotb revealed her breakup news on
national television, Gifford reached out online to support her friend. Gifford wrote on social media,
"My darling Hoda, I am truly so proud of the way you have handled such a difficult
and painful decision. As usual you did it with grace and kindness. May God bless you
and your precious girls and Joel as well as you continue down this thing called life. I love you."
Her thoughtful sentiment was met with applause from Today viewers. As one fan wrote,
"Two lovely, classy ladies. I miss their chemistry together."
Still, other fans think that Kotb should have kept her personal life to herself.
One person complained:
"I'm glad Hoda made a statement, but now she needs privacy! Stop. Leave it alone!!"
Another viewer felt that the show shouldn't have publicized
Gifford's message by pulling it out in a separate post, writing:
"I'm sure Kathie Lee reached out. Let it be private! This is not a photo opportunity.
I'm really disappointed in Today!"
It is no secret that Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford have a special relationship.
According to Closer Weekly, Kotb delivered a heartfelt message to
Gifford when she left the show they once co-hosted together,
NBC's Today During an appearance on Jimmy Fallon's The Tonight Show, Kotb gushed,
"I just said to Kath the other day, 'You know what's funny?' I said,
I feel like every good thing in my life happened after she and I met."
Outside of working together, Kotb and Gifford have become close friends,
per Hello! Magazine. Throughout their years on the show, the pair often praised one another. Birthday
celebrations were a big deal, with Gifford giving this heartfelt message on Kotb's birthday:
"Everyone, please join me in raising a glass to my dear friend,
who I love to describe as an Egyptian goddess and Sunshine in a Bottle. Happy Birthday, Hoda-woman."
Gifford giving her support to Kotb as she navigates a breakup
isn't surprising to fans who watched the duo for years. They share a special bond. The pair
don't only rally around one another when there is lost love involved. According to People,
Hoda Kotb recently gushed that her bestie is currently in love. During an appearance
on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Kotb shared that Kathie Lee Gifford
was having the time of her life since leaving NBC's Today, telling Andy Cohen:
"She's in love, she's in Nashville, she's singing. She's doing all the things she enjoys."
Don't worry, Kotb didn't spill the beans about her friend's relationship without her consent.
According to The U.S. Sun, Gifford originally opened up about her new
romance during an interview with Kotb on the NBC morning show. She gushed,
"I'm in a really special relationship
with somebody that is nice and fun and healthy, and so that's good."
These two have a special bond. Through breakups and new relationships,
you can count on Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb to support each other.
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