JAY-Z has known his mom Gloria Carter was a lesbian for years. But she didn't formally come out to him until eight months ago. He discussed the emotional mother-son conversation with David Letterman.

“Imagine having lived your life for someone else. And you think you’re protecting your kids," Hov told Dave. "And for my mother to have to live as someone that she wasn’t and hide and like, protect her kids — and didn’t want to embarrass her kids, and you know, for all this time. And for her to sit in front of me and tell me, ‘I think I love someone.’ I mean, I really cried. That’s a real story. I cried 'cause I was so happy for her that she was free.”

The day after the conversation, Hov wrote the track "Smile", which appeared on his 4:44 album.

The entire Letterman-JAY interview -- which is for the late night legend's new Netflix show My Next Guest Needs No Introduction -- will be available on Saturday.