Hoda Kotb’s Friends Wonder Whether Her Mystery Man Is ‘Real’ After Repeatedly Turning Him Down

Hoda Kotb apparently has a “very handsome” man wooing her — though her friends are now wondering if he’s actually real as she continues to turn down his attempts to take her out on a date.

The former Today cohost, 62, made headlines back in August when she revealed on-air that she had exchanged phone numbers with a guy she met on a flight. Calling it the “weirdest connection in the world,” per USA Today, she said the pair were “both crying” after it felt as though everything was “firing on cylinders” at the time.

But, in the months since, the pair still haven’t met up again in person.

“People are starting to wonder whether this mystery man is real or whether Hoda has created the perfect romance in her head,” a source at NBC told the Daily Mail in a piece published Thursday, November 12.

“Six months of texting, flirting and talking about a deep spiritual connection, yet she still hasn’t managed to sit down for a cup of coffee with him. It’s getting a little ridiculous,” added the source.

“She’s talking about him, wondering about him and getting emotional about him, but she hasn’t even had dinner with the guy,” the source continued. “Her friends want to shake her and say, ‘For goodness’ sake, just go on the date!'”

While returning to cohost Today with Jenna & Sheinelle on Monday, November 9, with Jenna Bush Hager, Kotb admitted he had asked her out repeatedly.

“I’ll tell you why I haven’t. One, probably, I’m scared. Two, I think I like a flirt that you don’t know what it is but it might be something,” she shared, per Page Six. “And sometimes, once you know it isn’t something, then it’s not so fun anymore, so I think I’m just sort of keeping it as a thing.”

After some encouragement from Bush Hager, she then said she’d agree to go on a “coffee date.”

“As long as they don’t go out, he can remain perfect. There’s no awkward first date, no uncomfortable silences and no possibility of disappointment. It’s a fantasy that cannot be ruined because it hasn’t been tested,” said the Daily Mail‘s source, who added that it’s time she puts “on a nice outfit and [meets] the man.”

Whether that’s happened, however, remains to be seen.

Kotb was previously married to Burzis Kanga from 2005 until 2008. She then began dating Joel Schiffman in 2013, before they adopted their first daughter, Haley Joy in 2017.

Schiffman proposed in 2019, and that same year, they adopted their second daughter, Hope Catherine. However, in January 2022, Kotb announced on Today that she and Schiffman had split, adding that they were “better as friends and parents than [they] are as an engaged couple.”