Jenna Bush Hager's Kids Have a "Strange" Name for Her: "All I'm Hearing Is..."
From being labeled "ruthless" by the Easter Bunny to partying in the rain, the TODAY host's kids keep her on her toes.
When she’s not hosting TODAY, Jenna Bush Hager stays plenty busy and plenty entertained, thanks to her sweet family with her husband, Henry Hager.
In the past month, for instance, Bush Hager celebrated her 17th wedding anniversary with her hubby, Mother’s Day with her kiddos, and a wild Easter weekend that involved her children chasing a man dressed as the Easter Bunny.
While Bush Hager hilariously admitted on TODAY just last month that she has “zero control” over what happens in her home, the couple’s three children — 13-year-old daughter Mila, 9-year-old daughter Poppy, and 5-year-old son Hal — are always making their mom laugh. And lucky for us, providing her with plenty of stories to share on TODAY.
Read on to look back at some of Bush Hager’s sweetest family updates and hilarious stories about her kids, as of May 2025.
Jenna Bush Hager taught her kids the “skill of partying” on her husband’s 47th birthday
In honor of Henry Hager’s 47th birthday on May 10, Bush Hager revealed on TODAY with Jenna & Friends that the whole family celebrated with a “costume party,” dressing up as a variety of different animals and characters.
“I’m a cougar,” Bush Hager told her co-host Erin Andrews as photos of the family in costume appeared on the screen. “Mila picked my outfit. We used to do this during COVID, we’d have theme nights.”
The man of honor dressed up as Uncle Sam, but “he had a Willie Nelson T-shirt underneath,” Bush Hager explained, adding that their son “Hal was a dinosaur.”
“We had so much fun and then we all went out, it was raining and they put on their bathing suits and we danced in the rain,” she added.
“You guys sound like the all-American family!” Andrews commented. “You’re having costume parties and rain dances.”
“I’m teaching them the skill of partying,” Bush Hager said. “That’s what I can bring to the table.”
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Jenna Bush Hager joked her kids looked like they filmed a “kidnap video” for Mother’s Day
To celebrate Mother’s Day this year, Bush Hager’s three children pulled out all the stops — even if it looked like they were being held for ransom. During the May 9 episode of Today with Jenna & Friends, Bush Hager’s guest co-host Matt Rogers revealed that Mila, Poppy, and Hal recorded a “special message" for her.
“Happy Mother’s Day, mom!” all three kids say to the camera, while standing against a white wall.
“You’re so nice and I love you so much!” Mila says.
“You always light up the room, you’re the kindest person in the world,” Poppy adds, while Hal chimes in, “I like building LEGOs with you!”
"That’s so cute,” Bush Hager said, before jokingly adding that “it looks like they also are sort of filming a kidnap video.”
Mila, Poppy, and Hal also surprised their mom with breakfast in bed on Mother’s Day, delivering waffles shaped as hearts and covered in chocolate sauce.
Jenna Bush Hager revealed her kids call her by her maiden name
Sure, Mila, Poppy, and Hal use the name “mom” on Mother’s Day, but Bush Hager revealed to her co-host Matt Rogers on Today with Jenna & Friends that her children like to call her by her full, maiden name.
"Do you think it's strange that my children, one of whom is 5, call me 'Jenna'?" she said during the May 7 episode. “And sometimes call me ‘Jenna Bush.’ All I'm hearing is 'Jenna Bush! Jenna Bush!' I’m like, ‘You're not even using your last name with me!’”
Bush Hager also revealed she calls her own mother, Laura Bush, cute nicknames like "mama" or "mamaship.”
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Jenna Bush Hager’s kids were “ruthless” with the Easter Bunny
From wearing pretty spring outfits to egg hunts, Bush Hager had a fun and eventful Easter with her family that left her “exhausted.”
"I don’t know if other moms feel this way after a weekend of family in my house, but yeah, we had a lot of fun," Bush Hager told her co-host Justin Sylvester during the April 21 episode of Today with Jenna & Friends, adding that they had a big Easter egg hunt and her friend, environmentalist Murray Fisher, dressed up as the Easter Bunny for the occasion.
“At one point, all the kids started chasing him. And two of my three children were following him and saying, ‘Take off the head! Take off the head!’” she recalled. “I was like, ‘What is happening?’ He came back and was like, ‘Those kids are ruthless, man.’”
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Jenna Bush Hager’s oldest daughter Mila celebrated her 12th birthday and looks just like her mom
On April 13, Bush Hager commemorated her daughter Mila’s 12th birthday with a sweet post on Instagram, as well as several photos of her oldest child.
“Twelve years of our darling girl,” the proud mom captioned the birthday post. “Mila, we LOVE all of who you are: all heart, spirit and humor. You burrata, cat-loving, Grey's Anatomy queen! We love you so!”
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Not only could fans not believe how quickly time has flown by, but they were also amazed by how much Mila looks like her mom. “Wow, she looks just like your mother!” one commented, while another added, “So pretty! A little mini Jenna.”
