Hoda Kotb finally breaks her silence about the quiet battle that reshaped her home, only to stun fans with a final confession about the future she still dares to imagine.QN

Hoda Kotb, longtime TODAY co-anchor and beloved morning-show presence, has grown accustomed to unconventional hours—but motherhood has transformed those early wake-ups into something unexpectedly perfect. Now raising her two daughters, Haley Joy, 5, and Hope Catherine, 3, Hoda has built a daily rhythm centered entirely around them.

Each morning begins with handwritten notes she leaves for the girls, complete with doodles and a treasure-map path to find the message before school. By afternoon, she’s often home in time for pickup, followed by dinner at five, baths by six, and lights out shortly after seven. It’s a schedule many adults might find exhausting, but Hoda embraces it: “I’m on a child’s schedule,” she says proudly.

Motherhood, something she once doubted would be possible after surviving breast cancer and navigating divorce, has become the greatest joy of her life. She recalls believing family meant the one she grew up in—her parents and siblings—until, at age 52, she adopted Haley. Adoption, she says, opened a chapter she never saw coming. “It still surprises me,” she reflects, “that I get to have this adorable little family that’s just right for me.”

After the end of her two-year engagement to Joel Schiffman, with whom she shares the girls, Hoda says she has reached a place of calm and gratitude. The two co-parent seamlessly, alternating weekends, communicating openly, and prioritizing their daughters’ happiness above all. “He’s a great dad,” she emphasizes, and together they’ve created a balanced rhythm that works for both households.

Summer days are often spent at the family’s beach home in New York, where Haley and Hope roam the sand collecting shells, chasing crabs, and indulging in sprinkles-covered ice cream. For Hoda, even the smallest moments carry deep meaning. One of her favorite sensations, she says, is walking along the sand, reaching behind her without speaking, and instantly feeling a tiny hand slip into her own. The emotional comfort comes not only from holding her children’s hands today, but knowing they’ll one day hold each other’s when she can’t. “Older parents have that secret fear,” Hoda admits, “but seeing them together gives me peace.”

The anchor is also open about wanting to adopt again. Although plans were delayed during the pandemic, she still feels another child could be part of her family’s future. She describes having “love and time” to give, and says her heart breaks hearing about children in need—sparking the thought each time: We could welcome them in. It would change all of us.

As for finding love again, Hoda is hopeful. She believes her past relationships, including the ones that ended, have helped her understand who she is now more fully than ever. “Once you know who you are,” she says, “love can find you.”

For Hoda, the journey hasn’t been linear or predictable—but it has brought her exactly where she belongs: in a home filled with notes, laughter, early bedtimes, late-in-life dreams, and two little girls who made everything possible.