‘Today Show’ Anchor Hoda Kotb Reveals Boyfriend Joel Schiffman Is Haley Joy’s Father

Hoda Kotb surprised fans when she revealed longtime boyfriend, Joel Schiffman was listed as the father of her adopted daughter, Haley Joy during an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show this past Tuesday.

“Is he on the papers?” Williams asked, to which Kotb happily replied, “He’s the father!”

Kotb, who adopted Haley Joy in February 2017, explained she had initially been hesitant to bring up adoption plans to Schiffman as he is also dad to daughter Kyle Schiffman.

“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 you not to answer me now. I want you to marinate. I want you to take a week, take a month, take as long as you need,’” she continued. “And he looked at me like he was terrified. And I said, ‘There’s a feeling inside that I can’t quiet anymore and I have to say it out loud and I’m going to say it.’”

Kotb shared that it was then that she brought up the subject of adoption, and to her surprise, Schiffman was on the exact same page.

“I said, ‘I want to explore adoption with you,’” she recalled. “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 continued. “He’s an awesome dad!”

The family recently celebrated Haley Joy’s second birthday, hosting a Sesame Street-themed party for the toddler. Kotb shared a photo of the bash on Instagram, which was complete with themed t-shirts, ribbons and a cake that read “Haley Street.”

“So much love today,” Kotb wrote. “Valentine’s Day x2.”

Kotb previously told PEOPLE that being a mom now takes precedence over anything else in her life.

“Work has ridden sidecar right next to me my whole life, and now it’s time for a baby seat to be here,” she said. “I enjoy work and I love it and I put my heart and soul into it when I’m there, but my true heart is with [Haley], all the time now. I love being able to say it out loud, that my time with her is the most important thing — more important than work and more important than anything.”

Photo Credit: Instagram / @hodakotb