Hoda Kotb Still Holding Out Hope for Romance with Ex Joel Schiffman

Hoda Kotb and ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman are still close friends and coparents — but she wants more and is shamelessly begging him for one last chance at romance, sources snitch!

Insiders babble that the 60-year-old mom of two, whose last day cohosting Today was Jan. 10, has not been able to move on since their split in January 2022 and still carries a torch for the financier, 66.

“There’s a tenderness between them and that’s nice, but what she wants and craves is the intimacy of being a couple,” tells a tattler.

“That’s what’s missing at this time in her life. She’s tried to find it elsewhere, only to be discouraged. Her attempts at dating have been disasters. She realizes no one has the magic touch quite like Joel!”

Over the holidays, Hoda shared a photo of the two of them looking cozy in matching pajamas with their daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, whom she adopted with Joel.

“Sleepovers are fantastic but they’re innocent as can be and she’s grasping for more,” insists the insider.

“Friends think it’s okay to ask one more time but don’t want to see her begging, and that’s what it amounts to. Hoda wants it all — the family, the husband and marriage — but she’s willing to dial it down if Joel comes back to her.”

Adds the snitch, “Clearly, Joel isn’t rushing back into a more serious relationship with her at this stage, and her pals just don’t want to see her hurt and disappointed.”