Over the course of the past year, the COVID-19 pandemic brought practically everything to a halt, including the ongoing processes of adoption. That’s something that Today co-host and mother-of-two Hoda Kotb disclosed in a new interview, as she talked about the roadblocks she and her family have faced when it comes to adopting a third child. Kotb appeared on Thursday’s episode of Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen and revealed just how impactful the pandemic was to the adoption process.
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“You know what’s funny about the adoption stuff that’s going on now? Apparently, it’s really slow during this time, during COVID,” she explained to Cohen. “I thought it would be a different game. No, they said a lot of people who maybe normally would feel like it would be something they wanted to do, have a child and give it to someone to raise because they couldn’t, are holding onto things because they don’t have anything in that moment,” Kotb continued.
The mother-of-two explained to Cohen that this piece of information was “what I’ve heard from our agency, everything’s slow. But they say wait wisely and just be, so we’re just gonna be.” Kotb has two adopted daughters, whom she shares with fiancé Joel Schiffman. She first adopted daughter Haley Joy in February 2017, followed by her second daughter, Hope Catherine, in April 2019.
Due to so many restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, so many families who were seeking adoption, as well as birth parents, faced a number of roadblocks. Travel restrictions meant cross-state trips made it difficult for timetables while varying hospital restrictions meant only one support person was permitted with the birthing parent. All of this is happening, though, as parents interested in adoption have the time to finally file their paperwork and explore the option more thoroughly, according to Parents.com.
But when it comes to adoption — and practically everything in her life — Kotb lives by the phrase, “when the timing is right, everything’s right on time.” In fact, when she first adopted Hayley, Kotb shared that she called friend and fellow journalist Robin Roberts to share the news. Roberts’ response? “That baby is right on time.”
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