Jenna Bush Hager Went to Her Old Texas High School and Cried with Hoda Kotb
The Hoda & Jenna co-hosts are having a walk down memory lane in Austin.
TODAY co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb are savoring every moment of their trip to Texas, where Hager grew up.
Not only is it one of their last trips together as co-workers, given than Kotb is soon to leave the storied morning show, it's also their first visit to the Lone Star State, despite having gone South a number of times to see New Orleans. Check out the highlights below.
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager got a glowing reception at Jenna's high school
Austin High School pulled out all the stops to welcome the Hoda & Jenna hosts. The pair had a full pep rally in their honor, complete with cheerleaders, dancers, a banner, marching band and custom ribbons. In a tender moment, Bush Hager was presented with the inaugural Loyal Forever Award (from the school's motto) honoring her dedication to books and education.
Later, Bush Hager told Kotb that the experience of going back to her high school was "so weirdly emotional, I couldn't stand it."
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"Brought my girl to my hometown! Texas is in my heart!" Bush Hager captioned a slideshow of pictures from their trip. The best friends posed with a red pickup truck, at a taco stand, and outside the Johnny Cash-themed bar Mean Eyed Cat, which is situated just across the street from the school.
During a visit to UT Austin, the pair tried their hand at a little cheerleading, with Bush Hager demanding that Kotb "get on my back!" for a photo before taking matters into her own hands and climbing onto Kotb.
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Jenna joked about her party girl days in the best way
We all make mistakes. When Hager was a college student, shortly into her father George W. Bush's first term as president, she used her sorority sister's ID to get into a local bar, Chuy's, despite being under the drinking age. She was caught and arrested, though not detained.
As she told Kotb back in 2020, her drink of choice was margaritas, and she was caught because the waitress, apparently, wasn't a fan of her father.
These days, Bush Hager and the Austin community have a sense of humor about the incident. "THIS! Do the math! Hilarious!" Bush Hager wrote of a sign another bar posted saying "Celebrating Serving Jenna Margaritas For 24 Years."
