Who is Burzis Kanga? Here are Facts About Hoda Kotb’s Ex-Husband

Everyone craves success in their chosen profession. It is the hallmark of why the majority of the human population wake up every day to head to their various place of work. While success in many fields comes with little to zero personal repercussions, success in some fields, particularly those with high media scrutiny comes with the loss of privacy. Some, however, like Burzis Kanga has been able to maintain a high level of privacy despite his status as a successful tennis coach.

When it comes to sports, Tennis is certainly one of the top five sports that generate a lot of media attention, particularly around the world. But despite being a notable tennis coach and having a relationship with Hoda Kotb, a journalist working for one of the leading networks in America, there is still plenty left unknown about Burzis Kanga.

However, we have been able to gather bits and pieces of information about the man to form an insight into his life thus far.

Who is Burzis Kanga?

If Burzis Kanga had his wish, his name would not be spoken in the media and he would be an unknown regular citizen. To a large extent, he has been able to achieve this as several pieces of background information about him are still unknown to the public.

The tennis coach has successfully kept details such as his date of birth, and the identity of his parents under wraps. As far as background information goes, only known information about Burzis Kanga is that he was born in America. Not even his ethnicity is public information, with several sources believing that he is either of Egyptian or Tanzanian origin.

Regardless of the dearth of information about him, Burzis is popular for his work as a tennis coach and it is a passion that began in high school. Between 1980 and 1983, he was a good tennis player who represented his university team in various competitions. Of course, details of his education are also unknown, although he is known to have graduated from University in 1984 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business.

Although he had a degree for business, his professional career has mostly resided in sports. He served as a sports commissioner for the Amateur Athletic Union in 1996 and he was appointed a board member of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.

Over the years, Burzis Kanga has been an integral part of New Orleans sports, especially tennis, serving in various capacities, including being the coach of the University of New Orleans in 1989, and in 2003 to 2006. He currently works as the head coach of the New Orleans Privateers.

Relationship with Hoda Kotb

In the ideal world of love and relationships, two lovers who met on Valentine’s day would be expected to be with each other till death, but reality does not play by the rules of the ideal.

That is the truth Burzis Kanga and Hoda Kotb came to live with at the end of their four-year relationship which began on February 14, 2004. The couple met for the first time at an event that was hosted for the American Heart Association in New Orleans.

Their first meeting was a successful shot by Cupid as they both fell in love with each other at first sight and took their attraction beyond the walls of the event that brought them together. They dated for a year before Burzis Kanga proposed in May 2005. The pair got married in December 2005 at a beautiful location in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

The marriage seemed like the seal of a lasting love between the couple but it turned not to be as Hoda Kotb filed for divorce from Burzis Kanga within three years of being married to the tennis coach. The couple officially separated on the 15th of February 2007 when the divorce was filed and it was made permanent by a court on the 6th of February 2008.

The relationship among many disappointments bore no children. There have been speculations regarding the reason for the failure of yet another high-profile marriage with many suggesting it was down to the long-distance nature of their marriage as a result of Hoda’s job while some put the blame at the feet of Kanga’s medical challenges.

Whatever eventually drove them apart only seems to have been limited to their relationship considering Hoda Kotb has been in a happy relationship with Joel Schiffman since 2016, with whom she has adopted a daughter named Haley Joy.

Tennis Certificate

Burzis Kanga holds the United States Tennis Association Professional 1 Certificate, which is the highest certificate of the governing body.

Body Measurements

Kanga’s entire body measurements are not known, as are other things about the man. However, it is documented that he stands at a height of 5 feet 10 inches. He is further known by his trademark mustache.

You May Also Like

Sean Hayes’s Net Worth, Biography, Career, Awards, Fact and Life Story

Sean Hayes Net Worth and Salary: Sean Hayes is an American actor and comedian who has a net worth of $20 million dollars. Sean Hayes is best known for his performance as Jack McFarland on the hit NBC sitcom “Will & Grace.” He has also been in such movies as “Pieces of April,” “The Bucket List,” and “Hit and Run,” and has been in Broadway productions including “An Act of God” and “Promises, Promises.” Beyond acting, Hayes runs a production company that has produced television shows such as “Grimm,” “Hot in Cleveland,” and “Hollywood Game Night.”Early Life and Career Beginnings: Sean Hayes was born in 1970 in Chicago, Illinois as the youngest of five siblings. His mother, Mary, was the director of the non-profit Northern Illinois Food Bank, while his father, Ronald, was a lithographer. He is of Irish descent, and was brought up Roman Catholic in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn. When Hayes was five, his alcoholic father left the family. As a teenager, Hayes attended Glenbard West High School, and then studied piano performance at Illinois State University. Hayes left Illinois State only a few classes short of graduation so he could become the musical director at the Pheasant Run Theater in St. Charles, Illinois. Later on, he did improv at The Second City in Chicago, and composed original music for a Steppenwolf Theatre Company production of “Antigone.” In 1995, Hayes moved to Los Angeles, where he found work doing stand-up comedy and acting in commercials.”Will & Grace” and Early TV Career: Two years after appearing in an episode of the crime drama “Silk Stalkings,” Hayes landed his most famous role as the flamboyantly gay Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom “Will & Grace.” A massive success, the show had its original run from 1998 to 2006; for his performance, Hayes received seven consecutive Emmy Award nominations, winning on his first. Additionally, he earned six Golden Globe Award nominations. During this time, Hayes appeared in episodes of “Scrubs,” “Tom Goes to the Mayor,” and “Lovespring International,” and also hosted an episode of “Saturday Night Live.” In 2002, he played famed comedian Jerry Lewis in the made-for-television film “Martin and Lewis,” for which he earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. In the latter half of the 2000s, Hayes guest-starred in episodes of the sitcoms “Campus Ladies” and “30 Rock.”Further Television Career: In 2010, Hayes served as the host of the 64th Tony Awards; the gig earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Special Class Program. After this, Hayes executive-produced a number of shows through his company Hazy Mills Productions, which he had founded with friend and former classmate Todd Milliner in 2004. Among the shows he has executive-produced are the TV Land original comedy series “Hot in Cleveland,” starring Betty White; the NBC supernatural police procedural “Grimm”; the game show “Hollywood Game Night,” hosted by Jane Lynch; and the short-lived sitcoms “The Soul Man,” “Sean Saves the World,” and “Crowded.”In the 2010s, Hayes guest-starred on such shows as “Portlandia,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Up All Night,” the musical drama “Smash,” and the adult animated series “American Dad!” In 2014, he had a recurring role in 11 episodes of the sitcom “The Millers,” starring Will Arnett and Margo Martindale. Subsequent credits include the variety show “Maya & Marty,” the television musical special “Hairspray Live!,” and the animated children’s program “Tangled: The Series.” From 2017 to 2020, Hayes reprised his star-making role as Jack McFarland on the NBC revival of “Will & Grace.”Film Career: On the big screen, Hayes made his feature film debut in the 1998 gay romantic comedy “Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss,” which garnered him much recognition. He subsequently did a voice role in the kids’ pet comedy “Cats & Dogs,” and appeared in the acclaimed 2003 independent dramedy “Pieces of April,” costarring Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson. Also in 2003, he played both Mr. Hank Humberfloob and the Fish in the live-action film adaptation of “The Cat in the Hat.” Other credits in the 2000s include the romcom “Win a Date with Ted Hamilton!”; Rob Reiner’s buddy comedy “The Bucket List,” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman; the musical comedy “Soul Men,” with Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac; and the animated fantasy film “Igor,” in which he lent his voice to the character Brain.Among Hayes’ later films are the slapstick comedy “The Three Stooges,” Dax Shepard’s action comedy “Hit and Run,” Disney/Pixar’s “Monsters University,” the animated children’s film “The Emoji Movie,” and the comedy “Lazy Susan.” There’s also “Am I Ok?,” a drama film with Dakota Johnson and Tig Notaro, directed by both Notaro and Stephanie Allynne.Theatrical Career: Hayes made his professional theatre debut in 2008, starring in the role of Applegate in an off-Broadway production of “Damn Yankees.” In 2010, he made his Broadway debut in a revival of the musical “Promises, Promises”; for his performance as Chuck Baxter, he earned both Drama League and Tony Award nominations. In 2016, after performances in San Francisco and Los Angeles, he starred as God in David Javerbaum’s play “An Act of God.”Personal Life: For many years, Hayes declined to discuss his sexual orientation. However, in a 2010 interview, he implied his homosexuality, and indicated that he was in a relationship. In 2014, he announced that he had wed his partner of eight years, Scott Icenogle. With his husband, Hayes produces lip-sync videos on the YouTube channel The Kitchen Sync. The couple has also written a book called “Plum.”Real Estate: In 2001, Sean paid $1.65 million for a home in LA’s Hancock Park neighborhood. In 2008 he listed the home for just under $9 million. He didn’t find a buyer and re-listed in 2014 for $8.3 million. He didn’t find a buyer then either and appears to still own the property today.
Read More