'Today' Anchor Hoda Kotb Celebrates Joel Schiffman's Birthday With Heartwarming Snapshot

Today Show anchor Hoda Kotb shared a heartwarming birthday photo of her partner, Joel Schiffman, and their daughter on Thursday.

Kotb and Schiffman have become a beloved fixture on social media, thanks in no small part to their daughter, Haley Joy. On Thursday, Kotb gave Schiffman a shout-out on his birthday, showing how the three of them celebrated.

"Happy bday to my [heart emoji]," Kotb wrote in the caption. The photo showed 2-year-old Haley Joy sitting at a glass table, completely enraptured by the birthday cake before her. The icing read "Happy B-Day Joel," and Schiffman held Haley's hand as they leaned in together to blow out the candles.

Fans went wild for the photo — particularly for the adorable expression on Haley's face. The youngster has grown up fast before their very eyes on Kotb's Instagram.

"Look at Haley holding her daddy's hand. Adorable!" one fan commented.

"I know it's Joel's birthday, but Haley is just the sweetest!!!" added another.

"Happy Birthday Joel! I hope you have an awesome time celebrating your special day," a third person wrote.

Kotb adopted Haley in February of 2017, and Schiffman has been a part of her life ever since. The two got together in 2013, and took their relationship public in 2015. At 52 years old, Kotb admitted it was a scary prospect telling Schiffman that she wanted to adopt a child, however he was supportive from the start. In a recent interview with Wendy Williams, she confirmed that Schiffman is Haley's legal father.

"This is what I did. I was scared because we were about to move in and I said that I cannot move in with him unless he knows that I have this voice inside — I have this feeling inside that I can't push down anymore," she said. "I wanted to be a mom and I kept thinking today is the day and I went to Joel and I said to him, 'I need to discuss something with you and it's very important.'"

"I said, 'I want to explore adoption with you,'" she continued. "He said, 'I don't need a minute.' I cried on his chest and my mascara went down because in that minute he knew that there was nothing that could make me happier."

"He is the finest man I have ever met," the anchor added. "He's an awesome dad!"

Kotb is on the air every morning for NBC's Today Show. She will be picking up even more slack soon when her co-anchor Kathie Lee Gifford bids the show farewell.