Hoda Kotb and Ex Joel Schiffman Walk Their Girls to School in Matching Family Style — and the Kids Have Grown So Much — Photos

The television favorite turned an ordinary school morning into an irresistibly sweet family occasion, complete with coordinated looks, two suddenly very grown-up girls, and a gorgeous setting chosen with their future in mind.

Hoda Kotb and former fiancé Joel Schiffman accompanied daughters Haley Joy Kotb, 9, and Hope Catherine Kotb, 7, back to school on September 8, 2026. The proud parents captured the milestone outside a place that carries enormous meaning for Hoda, but first, it was the girls' appearance and one wonderfully dramatic pair of pants that demanded attention.

Their First-Day Outfits Made This Family Walk Extra Adorable

Hoda shared a trio of photos from the big morning, including two images of the family walking away from the camera. A third captured all four facing forward and smiling together before Haley began fourth grade and Hope headed into second.

Hoda could barely contain her disbelief over those new grade levels. "It’s here! First day of school💥. 4th and 2nd grade! Whaaaatttt?" she wrote. The girls looked so much older, but each brought a completely different personality to her school-day outfit.

Haley was sporty and confident in a short-sleeved midi T-shirt dress covered in hot-pink and dark-navy horizontal stripes. White athletic sneakers, matching crew socks, dark wire-rim glasses, and a light-colored backpack completed her comfortable first-day ensemble.

Meanwhile, Hope appeared ready to float into class in a tiered pale-pink floral maxi dress, then gave it a casual twist with a medium-wash denim jacket. Her white low-top sneakers and pink backpack made the outfit practical enough for school without losing any of its sweetness.

The parents joined in with two polished looks of their own. Joel wore a tailored charcoal-gray suit with a light-blue button-down shirt, leaving the collar open for a slightly more relaxed morning feel.

Hoda went in a much more playful direction with a cropped Broncos knit sweater featuring navy graphics and panels of pale blue and cream. She teamed it with tan loafers, a cream canvas tote, and ultra-wide pale denim trousers with an exposed button fly.

Those enormous jeans nearly swallowed her shoes, and naturally, the wonderfully exaggerated silhouette earned its own admirer. One person joked, "Those pants are the tallest pants I have ever seen."

Yet Hoda's trousers faced some stiff competition from the real scene-stealers. People viewing the first set of photos on Facebook could hardly process how quickly Haley and Hope had shot up.

"I can't believe how tall and grown up your girls are! Beautiful family," one person wrote. Another exclaimed, "The girls are so tall!"

And despite being adopted, one admirer declared, "Her daughters look just like her God you are amazing!!! 😻 [sic]" Someone else added, "The girls are getting so big. 🥰🥰🌷🌷"

The affection continued beneath a second post, where people observed, "Getting so tall [sic]," and "Look how grown they are."

The excitement was understandable. The girls who once appeared beside Hoda as tiny preschoolers now looked poised and remarkably tall, confidently carrying their backpacks while their parents followed them toward another big year.

That Pretty Backdrop Was the Home Hoda Chose for Her Girls

The first-day photographs were taken outside Hoda's house in the suburbs, where she has shared occasional glimpses of family life since moving in. The charming setting behind that school walk was no incidental background either, because the property was selected around the childhood she desperately wanted Haley and Hope to experience.

Hoda left her Manhattan apartment for Bronxville, New York, in 2024. According to Realtor.com, a trust linked to the television host paid the full asking price of $2.895 million for the four-bedroom, five-bathroom Colonial.

Built in 1952 and refreshed by local builders before the family arrived, the sunny residence covers approximately 4,000 square feet. Although Bronxville is only about a 30-minute drive from Midtown Manhattan, its leafy residential streets offered Hoda and the girls an entirely different daily rhythm.

Inside, the main floor flows between a chef's kitchen, formal dining room, living area, and a family room flooded with natural light. A vaulted ceiling, skylight, and custom built-ins make that family space especially inviting.

The first level also contains a large en suite bedroom and another room previously used as a home office. Downstairs, a finished basement provides more living space and its own bathroom.

Hoda's primary suite is especially generous at 764 square feet, with custom cabinetry and closets. The adjoining bathroom brings a little luxury into the family home through marble floor tiles with radiant heating, dual sinks, and a towel warmer.

The outdoor space may be the loveliest part for a mother determined to give her children more room. Set on one-third of an acre, the grounds feature a broad bluestone patio for outdoor meals, colorful flowers, and plenty of space for Haley and Hope to play.

Hoda had reportedly already begun entertaining there by the time details of the purchase emerged. Even better for those busy school mornings, the house sits within walking distance of the girls' school, as well as local restaurants, shops, and the train.

She Dreamed of Bare Feet, Bicycle Rides, and Room to Grow

Leaving the city apartment where Hoda first brought both daughters home was emotional. She adopted Haley in 2017, and Hope in 2019, so the Manhattan property held the earliest memories of the family she once feared she might never have.

Still, Hoda had been picturing something bigger than additional square footage. Speaking to People in August 2024, shortly after celebrating her 60th birthday, she described the wonderfully free childhood she hoped the suburbs would give her daughters.

"I want my kids to feel grass on their feet, and play in the yard, and ride bikes down the street, and run up and down the stairs," she said. "I just see that life for them in this perfect house in this beautiful little town where I know they'll be able to blossom into beautiful, independent, strong women."

The move was not quite complete when Hoda returned from covering the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Painting had finished, and furniture was slowly arriving, although she laughingly admitted that deciding where everything belonged was not yet a priority.

"They're like, 'You have two couches, where do you want them?' And I'm like, 'I don't know, put them wherever, I'll get to it later!'" she recalled.

For Hoda, the transition represented what she called a "repotting phase." Her old life had become familiar and comforting, but she believed her family needed fresh space to become stronger.

"It's like my roots need a bigger pot," she explained. "You know when you take a plant out of a pot, and it's roots are all twisted and tight? And then you put it in a bigger pot with fresh new soil and it just grows bigger and stronger? That's the journey I'm on right now."

She acknowledged that leaving the apartment would hurt, but trusted the change. "But in the end, it's going to be exactly what we need."

Later that year, Hoda announced that she would step away from "Today" after 26 years with NBC, allowing her to spend more time with Haley and Hope. The house and career decision were deeply connected, each clearing room for the part of her life she treasures most.

Joel Has Remained Beside Them for the Milestones That Matter

Hoda and Joel ended their two-year engagement in January 2022, but they remained united in raising the girls. Seeing them together for the first day of school showed how naturally that commitment continues to fit into Haley and Hope's lives.

Hoda previously told People that she and Joel had found a healthy rhythm, dividing weekends and adjusting their plans through open conversations. "He's a great dad," she said.

She also made clear that she held no bitterness about the relationship ending. "I don't regret one day, not one minute, not one second of our time together because it brought me here," Hoda added.

The television personality also credited Joel with giving her the courage to build the family she wanted.

And the girls have long understood that their family began through adoption. During a 2021 appearance on the "Me Becoming Mom" podcast, Hoda revealed the tender words she used to explain it:

"You didn't come from Mommy's tummy, you came from my heart."

She even made the subject fun for them. Hoda told People, "I tell them how cool it is. I tell them that their cousin Ella was adopted and, you know, 'All the cool kids were adopted' — they get such a kick out of that."

Years later, those once-little girls are in fourth and second grade, walking taller beside both parents and beginning another school year from the home Hoda imagined for them.