Why Jenna Bush Hager Did Not Want the Portrait Dad George W. Bush Painted of Her
The TODAY host's dad, and former president, is a dedicated painter.
Viewers didn't know what they loved more during this unforgettable TODAY moment: Hoda Kotb's infectious laugh or Jenna Bush Hager's incredulous moment of self-reflection.
During the April 28, 2021, episode of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna, the topic of Hager's father, George W. Bush, came up. More specifically, the topic of his favorite hobby, painting. While the women paged through the latest issue of PEOPLE, they focused on the magazine's latest feature on the former president and his impressive paintings.
After marveling at his works, Kotb asked Hager if Bush had ever painted a portrait of her — and not only does an original George W. Bush portrait of his daughter exist, but Hager had some thoughts about it.
"They say in this article that his biggest fear is painting the women in his family," Hager explained. "So he painted my mom and he said that that was a bust and the painting was destroyed."
"And how about you?" Kotb asked again.
And that's when Hager's portrait, painted by her dad, flashed on screen.
"Oh," she said, looking objectively horrified. "...Is that what I look like?"
RELATED: George W. Bush Took Time to Paint a Beautiful Portrait of Granddaughter Mila's Cat
She couldn't pull herself away from looking at the portrait while Kotb tried to suppress her laughter.
"Is that what my face looks like?" she asked, defeated. "I'm just wondering."
At that point, Kotb was in a full-on laughing fit!
"Anyway, when he was here, he told Hoda that I hate the painting, and I don't hate it," Hager explained.
"But he did ask me if I wanted it because you didn't like it," Kotb said between laughter.
The moment was just one of many that defined the relationship between the two real-life friends on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna. And at this point in 2025, Hager is still on a mission to find Kotb's replacement during TODAY's iconic fourth hour.
Jenna Bush Hager announces her book club's first-ever book festival
Read with Jenna, the book club created by Hager, is going big-time in the form of a book festival! The event is slated to run for two days, from May 30 to 31, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee.
The star's Instagram announcement gives book lovers everywhere hints of what to expect in the Music City for the event, officially called the Read with Jenna Book Festival.
"I am SO excited to announce our first ever @readwithjenna book festival!! Join us to connect with fellow book lovers and meet some of your FAVORITE authors — Elin Hilderbrand, Ann Patchett, Alison Espach, Chris Whitaker, Amity Gaige, Rumaan Alam, Jessica Soffer, Emma Straub and Jean Kwok. Plus, a performance by the incredible @blessingoffor …. And so much more!" Hager wrote in the caption.
What a lineup! Avid readers can head to the official Read with Jenna Book Festival website for more information — including how to purchase tickets.
