Hoda Kotb breaks down in tears as Jason Segel makes touching remark on her shock Today show exit

Hoda Kotb broke down crying as Jason Segel made a heartwarming comment on her upcoming exit from the Today show .

The veteran anchorwoman, 60, announced in September that she will step away from her co-hosting position on Today early next year.

DailyMail.com reported then that she was withdrawing from the job to spend more time with her young daughters, which she later publicly confirmed.

But the subject of her departure left her in tears during her Wednesday morning interview with Jason, 44, of How I Met Your Mother fame.

As they concluded their conversation, Jason told Hoda: 'I'm gonna miss you when you're gone. I just want you to know, these interviews have been some of the best of my whole career, so I'm really grateful to know you.'

Hoda was visibly moved, whispering: 'Wow,' and placing a hand near her heart as her eyes swam with tears.

'Thanks,' she added in a choked-up voice, giving Jason an affectionate tap on the leg and thumping one foot on the floor in an attempt to contain her emotions while turning the show over to her co-host Savannah Guthrie .

The touching moment comes after Hoda revealed that she decided to leave Today when she reflected on how she wanted to spend her 60s.

She explained that her two daughters were the main reason she chose to leave her position because she wanted to spend more time with them , in a cover story for People magazine.

Hoda that she struggled with wanting to be with her kids and wanting to be excellent at her job, but found it hard to juggle both.

She is mother to two daughters, Haley Joy, seven, and Hope Catherine, four - both of whom she adopted.

'There's this guilt you carry because you can't be 100% at work and 100% at home. Something has to give if you want excellence. If you're going to be excellent at work, something has to give at home.'

Hoda continued: 'And if you want to be excellent at home, I mean excellent, and do all the things, something has to give at work. It can't be equal.'

'I knew I wanted this decade to be different. I looked at my time like a pie. I was like, this is how much time I get, and now what am I going to do with it and how am I going to carve it up?' Hoda said.

Adding: 'And I wanted it to be filled with more of them.'

Hoda announced she was leaving the Today show in an announcement on September 26 - after 17 years as a Today Show co-host for the 10 am hour and 25 years at NBC.

She is leaving her position in early 2025.

The star said she began thinking about what she wanted to do next in life after turning 60, asking herself what it would look like.

'I like adventure, I like new beginnings. I'm a sunrise person and not a sunset person, and I was wondering, what does it look like for me?'

One of the things Hoda is looking forward to is taking her daughters to school.

The host said she's had to wake up at 3:30 am every day including weekends for her job - which means she would get tired by 9 pm.

'I'm not going to be playing beat the clock all the time anymore,' she said.

Hoda and her daughters moved out of the Upper West Side in Manhattan, now living in a home in Westchester, where the star says she has a swing set and a yard.

Hoda's youngest daughter Hope had a medical crisis in February 2023, which she chosen not to disclose, which also led to her decision to move them out of the city .

'We're in a place where Hope is thriving. She is improving, we're watching her, and I think that as time goes on, we'll have a better handle on it, but we're already seeing great differences,' she told the outlet.

'We have really excellent care, I have people who are helping us out. I feel like she is finding steady footing,' she added.