Hoda Kotb's friends fear her 'handsome' mystery man is NOT REAL... even as TV host, 62, insists their 'deep' connection made her weep: 'At some point, you have to wonder'

Love, actually?  

Hoda Kotb's friends are questioning whether the 'very handsome' mystery man she claims to have met on a plane months ago is actually the real deal after the ex-Today host confessed she still hasn't gone on a date with him, the Daily Mail can reveal. 

The former NBC morning show star, 62, recently revealed she may finally have found a romantic connection with a man she met on a flight over the summer.

But pals have been left scratching their heads over the mom-of-two's apparent hesitation to pull the trigger and meet him again, sources say. 

'People are starting to wonder whether this mystery man is real or whether Hoda has created the perfect romance in her head,' an NBC insider told the Daily Mail.

'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.

'You cannot date a text message!' 

Kotb, who split from her fiancé Joel Schiffman back in 2022, first made the bombshell revelation about her love life during a brief return to the Today show in August. 

In a made-for-Hollywood moment, the veteran journalist spilled on national television that she had been sitting next to a 'very cute' and 'very handsome' man on a flight to Cannes when they struck up a conversation. 

She said their bond, albeit brief, was so strong that they were both left in tears. 

'It was the weirdest connection in the world. We were both crying,' Kotb shared at the time. 

'It was strange. You know, when you have one of those... everything is firing on all cylinders? He kept saying, "Is this a dream? Is this real?"' 

The potential lovers exchanged numbers and have apparently been communicating ever since, but insiders say that's as far as it has gone. 

'Her friends are scratching their heads. This man supposedly wants to see her, keeps asking her out and is making all the right moves, but somehow Hoda always finds a reason not to go. At some point, you have to wonder what she's actually waiting for,' a source said.  

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

Kotb hasn't disclosed the identity of the man, only referring to him on air as an 'AI guy' who splits his time between New York City and Miami. 

She revealed during an appearance on the Today show earlier this week that she has been repeatedly turning down his pleas to meet in person.   

Kotb, who shares daughters Haley, nine, and Hope, seven, with her ex, confessed that her hesitation was, in part, due to her being 'scared.'

'I'll tell you why I haven’t [gone on a date with him]. One, I'm scared. Two, I like [to] flirt, [I like the stage when] you don't  know what it is, but it might be something,' she told Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager. 

'And sometimes once you know it isn’t something, then it’s not so fun any more. So I think I’m sort of just keeping it as a [texting] thing.'

Her friends feared as much, according to insiders.  

'Hoda loves the excitement of a new romance, the butterflies, the messages, the anticipation and the possibility that something wonderful might happen. But the problem is that she's enjoying the possibility much more than the reality,' a source said. 

'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.'

Her loved ones, though, are eager for her to let cupid's arrow fly, sources say. 

'Hoda doesn't need another pep talk, another spiritual sign or another lengthy text exchange. She needs to put on a nice outfit and meet the man,' an insider said. 

'There's only so long you can keep calling someone a mystery man. Eventually, he needs to become somebody who turns up, pulls out a chair and orders dinner. Otherwise, he's just a pen pal with excellent timing.

'Everybody wants Hoda to find love but this isn't a relationship yet. It's a conversation with a stranger who happens to have a good romantic sales pitch,' the source added.  

'Hoda deserves the real thing, not an endless romantic cliffhanger.'

Kotb, for her part, said she hasn't ruled out finding love again – despite her turbulent relationship history. 

'I'm 62 years old, I have two young kids, and I believe the love part of my life is a piece that's coming,' she said on Today this week. 

'I don't go, "Oh well, that’s that." I believe that as I am going through life that there is going to be a person who shares more than just the things that mattered to me when I was younger.

'I want someone like a deep spiritual connection, a deep emotional connection. I think that's coming, and I think I have to take risks to get it.'

Kotb tied the knot with former University of New Orleans tennis coach Burzis Kanga in 2005 after dating for several years.

The marriage ended in 2007 when Kotb filed for divorce the same month she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Following her divorce, the journalist dated lawyer Jay Blumenkopf for a year before they called it quits in 2012.

Kotb then started dating Schiffman the following year and eventually the pair adopted their daughters.

They announced their engagement in 2019, but revealed in early 2022 they were going their separate ways.

The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Kotb for comment.