Jenna Bush Hager's Barbara Bush Costume Got the Best Reaction from Her "Ganny"
The TODAY co-anchor threw on some pearls and a white wig when she dressed up as a '90s icon for Halloween.
From her White House style to spreading her passion for books, Jenna Bush Hager grew up with an icon, her beloved "Ganny" Barbara Bush. Indeed, the TODAY co-host called her late grandmother "The Enforcer" because of the life lessons she taught her family. The former first lady was also honored with a USPS stamp, commemorating her legacy. So when the TODAY team all dressed up as '90s icons for Halloween in 2016, it's no surprise Jenna chose to don some signature pearls.
Jenna, who shares three children with her husband Henry Hager, said on TODAY at the time that she loved "dressing up as her favorite first lady," before quickly adding, "besides my mom!"
Barbara Bush served as First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993 while Jenna's grandfather, President George H.W. Bush, was in office. Years later, Jenna's parents, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, served in the White House from 2001 to 2009.
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From the jewelry to the ruby red blazer, Jenna got her grandmother's look down to a T — and even got a surprise visit from the '90s icon herself on TODAY.
Jenna Bush Hager's "Ganny" Barbara Bush had the best reaction to her costume
While Jenna was chatting with her TODAY co-hosts during a 2016 Halloween segment, she described her costume as a "flash forward to what I'm going to look like in my golden years." And she clearly had no idea her grandmother was planning to make a surprise virtual visit to the TODAY set.
"Ganny!" Jenna exclaimed when she noticed her grandma, who wasted no time cracking jokes.
"I heard she was going to dress up like a witch. So I did, too," Barbara joked, wearing an orange shirt, a black witch's hat, and white pearls.
"I didn't say that, Ganny! I didn't say that!" Jenna quickly chimed in. "You were the first lady in the '90s, so I got this whole look from you!"
"Ahh," Barbara responded. "Well you look better than I ever looked. I love you, Jenna."
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Jenna Bush Hager's grandmother Barbara Bush loved fake pearls
Just as Jenna's costume proved, Barbara Bush and pearls always went hand in hand. And the former first lady was an open book about the fact that her pearls were fake. "I wouldn't want them if they were real," she told NPR's Fresh Air in 1994 about her signature piece of jewelry. "They're sort of fun, and, besides that, they're big enough to cover my wrinkles."
Barbara was full of down-to-earth wisdom. For example, during a 2016 episode of TODAY, Jenna shared that her grandparents' secret to marriage was to both "go 75% of the way." Barbara also had a needle-pointed "reading is sexy" pillow in her home, which was a cheeky nod to her love of books that inspired Jenna's own passion for literature. Heck, the TODAY host even has her Read With Jenna book club.
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Barbara Bush passed away in 2018. Jenna often reminisces about memories of her grandmother and the impact she left on her. During a 2020 segment on TODAY with Willie Geist, she talked about her grandmother's book, Pearls of Wisdom, and her famous white hair, which she always embraced. "She would always say, 'Don't talk about your hair, it's so boring,'" Jenna recalled. "I kind of think, the times we live in, it's really refreshing."
