Hoda Kotb Just Went on Her 1st Date 2 Years After Joel Schiffman Split

Hoda Kotb is dipping her toe back into the dating pool.

“I do have to say something, something did happen the other day that hasn’t happened in two years,” Kotb, 59, said on the Tuesday, March 5, episode of The Kelly Clarkson Show. “I had a date! I had a date.”

Kelly Clarkson appeared shocked by Kotb’s admission and replied, “That’s huge. That’s huge even to be in a place to do that.” While appreciating her pal’s praise, Kotb clarified it was “nothing but a date.”

The romantic update comes two years after Kotb and Joel Schiffman called off their engagement. The pair, who had been together for eight years, share daughters Haley, 7, and Hope, 4.

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Kotb announced their split during a January 2022 episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna, saying, “Joel and I have 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. So we decided that we are going to start this new year and begin it kind of on our new path as loving parents to our adorable, delightful children, and as friends.”

After sharing on Tuesday that she’s getting back out there, Kotb then asked Clarkson, 41, whether she had ever contemplated dating again. (Clarkson finalized her divorce from Brandon Blackstock in 2022. The pair share daughter River, 9, and son Remington, 7.)

“Not at all. Not even a little bit. I am really loving not having a man in my life. Like, it’s just too hard. There’s too much,” Clarkson replied. “There’s all the jobs, plus the kids, plus being present for the kids while you’re there. ‘Cause sometimes people will still email you, and I’m like, ‘No, no, no, we’re home now. We’re not doing this.’”

After laughing, Kotb praised the former American Idol winner for pulling herself up by her “roots.”

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“All of a sudden, you brought those roots to New York City. You stuck ‘em in fertile ground. Look what has happened to you since you moved here,” Kotb said. “Like, everything has changed. I feel like I’m watching this in slow motion.”

She continued to praise Clarkson’s progress, adding, “You are flourishing in a way that I did not see all those years ago. You are flourishing, my girl, and I’m so proud of you.”

Two months after Clarkson settled her divorce with Blackstock, 47, in March 2022, she announced that she was moving her family and The Kelly Clarkson Show from Los Angeles to New York City.

After Clarkson said goodbye to Hollywood, a source exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2023 that the move wouldn’t “have much of an impact” on her and Blackstock’s coparenting relationship “since they already live in different states and she has primary custody.”

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“Kelly is really excited for this next chapter and looking forward to a fresh start,” the insider said.

In addition to building her new home in NYC, she also closed a chapter in her financial relationship with her ex. Earlier this year, Clarkson made her final spousal support payment to Blackstock. (Per court documents obtained by Us, Clarkson agreed to pay Blackstock spousal support of $115,000 monthly until January 2024 and was asked to pay a one-time, tax-free fee of $1,326,161.)

“Kelly is feeling relieved that her spousal support to Brandon has come to an end,” a source told Us. “She’s been ready for this for a while now and is so happy her payments to Brandon will be complete. It’s so nice knowing that this chapter of her life can close with the new year.”