Jenna Bush Hager is 100% cat lady — in more ways than one.
During Monday, March 17’s episode of Today with Jenna & Friends, the host, 43, opened up about one of weirdest games she and her twin sister Barbara would play with their parents, former president George W. Bush and Laura Bush.
“When we were little, we made our parents call us by our cat names,” she told guest host and NBC correspondent Willie Geist, who jokingly asked in response: “What was your cat name?”
“Rosebud,” Bush Hager joked. ‘And my mom was Marmalade. My dad was Tummy Tuff and I can’t remember what Barbara was… oh, Stripes!”
“We would crawl to my parents,” she continued, to laughs from the crowd. “I know, it’s odd. It’s become odder as time has gone by. But I am full cat. I like to lounge. I like to take names. I like to read.”
The TV host joked that she’s even turned her husband, Henry Hager, “who never had a cat in his life, to a full cat person.”
TODAY with Jenna & Friends/YouTube
Bush Hager has always been candid about her love for felines. During an October episode of Today, she announced that her family—including her 11-year-old daughter Mila—had welcomed a new kitten after her former cat, Hollywood, went missing over the summer.
When her then-cohost Hoda Kotb asked what the new kitten’s name would be, Bush Hager replied, “Well, it’s not up to me. It’s up to Mila.”
“But I’ve heard breaking news from my home this morning that there are two finalist names,” she revealed before sharing the two detailed monikers that her daughter picked out.
The first option is “Mocha Spiced Latte. Full name: Mocha, middle name: Spiced Latte, Hager.” She added that as a nickname, “They would call her ‘Mo.'”
“Or,” Bush Hager continued, “Maisie Moo Hager. Moo’s her middle name. As for the kitten’s nickname, they would call her “Mae Mae.”
TODAY with Hoda and Jenna/X
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In February, the mom-of-three revealed another hilarious moment from her family’s time in Texas during an episode of Today with Jenna & Friends. She said that her high school boyfriend once called her father a hilarious nickname that left him red in the face.
While chatting with Geist, Bush Hager said, “I had a boyfriend in high school who called my dad ‘Big George’ once.”
Geist reacted in shock, asking, “He did? How long did that last?” to which the former first daughter replied, “He lasted a long time because he was handsome. But my dad — you know when you’re in those moments — it only works when you’re young because when you’re in those moments, you’re like, ‘Oh god, this is not good.’ But you can somewhat brush it over.”
As for how the nickname went over with her dad, she said he “turned red.”
Geist then pointed out her father’s political standing during the alleged interaction. “Your dad was also governor at that time,” he said. “He was governor of Texas, and some teenager is going, ‘What’s up, Big George?’ I’m impressed he lasted.”
Bush Hager and her husband are parents to Mila, 11, daughter Poppy, 9, and son Hal, 5.
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