Hoda Kotb, 59, tears up live on Today as she opens up about how her dad’s death impacted her decision to become an ‘older mom’

Hoda Kotb was in tears on the Today show on Thursday as she opened up about her father's death and how it affected her decision to become a mother in her 50s.

The host, 59, reflected on being an older parent while chatting with Jenna Bush Hager about pregnant Sienna Miller, 41, who bared her baby bump on the January 2024 cover of Vogue.

The actress told the magazine that she was expecting a girl, saying, “I would like to get to a point where I didn't feel the need to make a joke about the fact that I'm older and have a baby to show that I'm in trouble. in jest.'

Kotb, mother of daughters Haley, six, and Hope, four, understood why Miller would rely on self-deprecating humor when talking about her pregnancy.

Kotb shares adopted daughters Haley, six, and Hope, four, with her ex-fiance, Joel Schiffman

'I think a lot of people do that. Like you want to beat them, so you make the joke about 'oh, I'm an older mom,'” she said.

'Or if you feel heavy and uncomfortable, you joke about it. “Oh, I was always the fat kid.” That's the joke you make so no one else can make it.'

Bush Hager, 42, noted that Kotb “doesn't do this” when talking about adopting her daughters with her former fiancé, Joel Schiffman.

“I don't care,” the mother of two explained. 'I've heard through various channels that people sometimes say, “Wow, you did that so late? Wow.”

'But I'm so happy and satisfied with my decision that I don't feel an ounce of shame or 'ouch'. Because my father died when I was in college. You get your parents as long as you get your parents, and they lay a foundation that you can't get rid of.”

Kotb nodded her head as her eyes filled with tears at the mention of her father, Abdel Kader Kotb, who died at age 51 of a heart attack when she was a junior at Virginia Tech.

“Why can't I get rid of that?” Bush Hager asked after a few seconds of silence, prompting her co-star to laugh and wipe her ears from her eyes.

The former first daughter added that Kotb has taught her to “lead with joy.”

The host reflected on being an older parent while chatting with Jenna Bush Hager about pregnant Sienna Miller, 41, who bared her baby bump on the January 2024 cover of Vogue

“My father died when I was in college. “You get your parents as long as you get your parents, and they lay a foundation that you can't shake,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Why can't I get rid of that?” Bush Hager asked after a few seconds of silence, prompting her co-star to laugh and wipe her ears from her eyes

“When people come to our show and say, 'How are your kids?' Hoda doesn't feel like she needs a joke because she's so happy with it,” she explained.

“Yes, I am,” Kotb shared.

“If you lead with joy, guess what comes next? Joy. If you lead with enthusiasm – and that has to do with everything – people will return enthusiastically, Bush Hager continued.

“When you lead with love, guess what comes back? It is love. You don't feel like you have to be joking…I love that you're completely confident.”

“Yes,” Kotb agreed, saying her daughters were “the best decisions she ever made.”

Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 42 years old and came out of treatment unable to get pregnant.

Kotb added that Haley and Hope were 'the best decisions she ever made'

The mother recently shared photos of her daughters helping her decorate their Christmas tree

Kotb continues to co-parent Haley and Hope along with Schiffman, who has a stocking hanging in her New York City apartment

For years, she thought motherhood wasn't for her until she broached the subject of adoption with Schiffman, her then-partner, who immediately tackled it.

They adopted their daughter Haley Joy in 2017 and welcomed their second daughter, Hope Catherine, two years later.

Speaking to DailyMail.com in 2018, Kotb opened up about how the memory of her father influenced her decision to become a mother.

“I think any older mom who says she hasn't figured it out is probably lying. I've definitely thought about it and what it means. What it means for the future,” she said. “But my father died in his early fifties and I was in my early twenties.”

“I was a junior in college. It was sudden, scary and terrible,” she added. “But the seeds he laid for me over those twenty years remain with me today. The things he taught me are still a part of me today.”

Kotb announced her divorce from Schiffman in January 2022, but they continue to co-parent their daughters together.

The former couple wore matching rainbow costumes when they took their daughters out for Halloween, and Kotb has a Christmas stocking for Schiffman hanging in her New York City apartment.