The daughter of former President George W. Bush called the confession “everybody’s fear”
Credit: NBC; Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Jenna Bush Hager acknowledged her Today show opportunity stemmed from her family’s notoriety but says she’s worked hard to prove herself
- She recalled early doubts from colleagues and admits to overworking herself to counter the “nepo baby” stereotype
- Bush Hager has built a successful career with projects like Read with Jenna, children’s books and an upcoming NBC drama
Jenna Bush Hager is no stranger to having to prove herself.
The Today with Jenna & Sheinelle co-host, 44, first joined the Today show as a correspondent in 2009. While she’s gone on to make a name for herself on the NBC morning show and beyond, she is well aware of the privilege that came with her upbringing as the daughter of former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush.
“I’m sure — and I haven’t asked my boss, and I’d rather not — I got this interview… I was on the show because my dad was president,” Bush Hager said, while discussing the “nepo baby” stereotype on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle on Wednesday, Aug. 12. “I wrote a book in 2006. I was on the show. And then my mom and I wrote a book nine months later and she guest-hosted the 8. And so I was on, and then they kept calling.”
Bush Hager acknowledged “I wouldn’t have been given that opportunity” were it not for her famous parents, adding, “I know that. I think most people who have parents that [are famous], we have a privilege that we know. And if you can own it….”
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The mother of three said her privilege has caused her to “work like crazy” to prove the naysayers wrong.
“They asked me to come work, I said no because I was a teacher and I kept teaching for several years. And then, as we all know, teaching is the hardest job there is,” she said. “So eventually, I took the interview and I started here.”
However, Bush Hager said there was doubt, even from members of the Today show staff.
“I remember — and I’m not gonna say who — but month two where I’m just trying to learn … oh, I mean, I didn’t know anything,” she said of broadcast news. “Anyway, a correspondent said to me, ‘We just thought they hired you because of your dad.’ ”
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As the daughter of well-known parents, Bush Hager noted, “That’s everybody’s fear that has this,” adding that people online often say her parents are behind her success.
“It’s the thing that probably all of us can feel bad about but then what we do to get over that is work like crazy, work beyond to where we’re working ourselves too much,” she said, recalling, “Maria Shriver said that to me. She was like, ‘Why are you doing all this?’ ”
While Bush Hager acknowledged that she originally overworked herself in the name of proving others wrong, she now feels like she’s proven herself.
She also admits that her hardworking attitude has seeped into her parenting for daughters Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and son Hal, 6.
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“Mila worked this summer. I’ve always worked,” she recalled. “And I hope I’m not imparting any sort of transference of that and overdoing it. Mila’s 13, and she worked at a school.”
Ultimately, Bush Hager said that two things can be true: “I feel lucky to be here, and I’ve also felt like I’ve needed to prove it.”
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After starting as a correspondent in 2009, Bush Hager went on to co-host Today with Hoda & Jenna after the exit of Kathie Lee Gifford in 2019. Upon Hoda Kotb‘s exit in 2025, Bush Hager ran Today with Jenna & Friends with more than 60 celebrity guest co-hosts until Jones joined her on the show earlier this year.
She’s also started the popular Read with Jenna book club, penned several children’s books, started her Thousand Voices publishing imprint and is an executive producer on the upcoming NBC drama, Line of Fire.
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