Hoda Kotb & Sandra Bullock Talk Adopting in Emotional ‘Today’ Conversation

Hoda Kotb‘s latest Today interview took an emotional turn.

Kotb returned to the NBC morning show on Tuesday, September 8, to air her new interview with Practical Magic 2 stars Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock. In addition to chatting about the film, which is a sequel to 1998’s Practical Magic, Kotb opened up about how Bullock made a profound impact on her personal life.

“I had missed the window to have children, and I felt terrible about it. I knew it was, like, my cross to bear. I kept saying, ‘Don’t worry about it. You don’t get everything in life. Stop asking for everything,'” Kotb told the actresses. “And then, I turned on the TV, and one of those shows had mentioned that Sandra Bullock had adopted a baby from New Orleans named Louis. And I literally Googled, ‘How old is Sandra Bullock?’ And I was like, ‘She’s my exact age.’ I burst out into tears.”

Bullock adopted her son, Louis, in 2010, followed by her daughter, Laila, in 2015. “I reached out, and I called you, and I said, ‘I have to ask you a question.’ I said, ‘Tell me what it’s like,'” Kotb said to Bullock. “I sent Sandy a text from the plane that said, ‘I’m on the way,’ and she changed the course of my life. I now have a 9-year-old and a 7-year-old solely because of that moment.”

 

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Bullock began to choke up over Kotb’s comments. “It’s not gonna happen. I’m not gonna let you do this. I’m fine,” she quipped while holding back tears. Kotb went on to state, “Families come in a million different ways. You know. You know. I know. We all have these, kind of, very interesting families that come in different ways.”

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Kidman is also an adoptive mother, sharing kids Isabella and Connor with her first husband, Tom Cruise. Kidman later welcomed her younger two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, with her ex-husband Keith Urban.

Kotb adopted her daughters Haley and Hope in 2017 and 2019, respectively, with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman. The couple dated quietly for two years before going public in 2015. Kotb announced the pair’s split during a January 2022 episode of Today.

Kotb and Schiffman have remained friendly co-parents over the years, reuniting for special occasions such as birthdays, holidays, and vacations. In a new Instagram post on Tuesday, Kotb revealed that Schiffman joined her to celebrate their kids’ first day of school.

“It’s here! First day of school. 4th and 2nd grade! Whaaaatttt?” Kotb wrote alongside snaps of herself and Schiffman walking their daughters to school, as well as a sweet family photo they snapped in the driveway of Kotb’s home.

 

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Fans reacted to the pair’s latest reunion in the post’s comments, with one user writing, “May this new year bring lots of learning and enjoyment for your girls. Hoda you really teach your people what parenting is about…togetherness for the girls good! Congratulations.” Another added, “It’s so great to see you and Joel doing all these special things together.”

Someone else shared, I love this co-parenting situation so much.” A different person posted, “Love you guys!! have a great year girls.” A separate commenter gushed, “Both of you taking the girls to school no matter what the situation may be, will be something the girls will forever remember.”

Today, Weekdays, 7 am/6c, NBC

Practical Magic 2, In Theaters, Friday, September 11