Who Is Jenna Bush Hager? See Fun Facts About the 'Today' Star

Jenna Bush Hager does an incredible job juggling her career and motherhood. Aside from her role as a mom of her three kids and her gig on Today, there’s so much more to know about the beloved TV personality.

Jenna was born alongside her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, in Dallas, Texas, to dad George W. Bush and mom Laura Bush on November 25, 1981. Fans came to know and love Jenna when she was just a little girl thanks to her dad’s run as the 43rd President of the United States from 2001 to 2009.

Although Jenna grew up in the spotlight, she didn’t necessarily plan to pursue a career in TV. In fact, after graduating from The University of Texas in Austin in 2004, she worked as an elementary school teacher in Washington, D.C., while also interning with UNICEF.

That same year, the Today With Hoda and Jenna star joined her dad’s re-election campaign. It was during that time that she met and fell in love with her now-husband, Henry Hager. The businessman was working as a staff assistant to President George W. Bush’s senior advisor when they crossed paths on the campaign trail.

Jenna and Henry’s romance quickly kicked off and the two were engaged by 2007. The following year in 2008, the lovebirds tied the knot during a romantic and private ceremony at the Bush family’s secluded ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Throughout the next few years, Jenna — who joined Today as a contributor in August 2009 — paved quite a successful career while also starting a family. In 2013, the couple welcomed their welcomed daughter, Margaret “Mila” Hager, followed by daughter Poppy Louise Hager in 2015. Three years later in 2018, Jenna and Henry welcomed their youngest son, Henry “Hal” Hager.

Following years of guest appearances on Today, Jenna was named Kathie Lee Gifford‘s replacement on the fourth hour after the TV legend announced her retirement in December 2018. Jenna made her debut alongside costar Hoda Kotb months later in April 2019.

Since then, Jenna has become quite the accomplished TV star. However, nothing will be more important to the former first daughter than her husband and kids.

“You hear these clichés in parenting and they’re all true. ‘Time goes so fast,'” she once gushed to People. “‘The days are long, but the years are short.’ All of that is a cliché because it’s real, but nobody tells you about these little moments in parenting that will mean the most to you.”

Scroll through the gallery below to see five facts you might not know about Jenna!

She Has a Passion for Reading

Like her mom, Laura Bush — who is a former school librarian — Jenna loves books. She’s even started her own book club on Today, with the first selection being Tara Conklin’s novel The Last Romantics. Jenna previously said on Today, “In a world that can feel technologically obsessed, it’s fun to go back to the old-school book clubs.”

She’s Named After Her Maternal Grandmother

Jenna was named after mom Laura’s late mother, Jenna Welch. Months before the TV star’s grandmother died at age 89 in May 2019, Jenna shared the sweetest photo of them during a visit.

“Holding onto my namesake 99-year-old, Jenna Welch. She never graduated from college, but never stopped learning,” she penned on social media in November 2018. “[My grandmother] taught me every constellation in the night sky and about beautiful foreign lands she would never get [to] visit. I loved seeing her today in Midland, [Texas].”