{"id":41847,"date":"2026-08-12T23:23:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41847"},"modified":"2026-08-12T23:23:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T18:23:31","slug":"jenna-bush-hager-recalls-being-judged-with-today-colleagues-nepotism-remark-after-first-joining-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=41847","title":{"rendered":"Jenna Bush Hager recalls being judged with TODAY colleague&#8217;s nepotism remark after first joining show"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"emxkeXI3Fs\" data-wc=\"27\">It&#8217;s been 17 years since <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/jenna-bush-hager\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Jenna Bush Hager<\/a> was made part of the NBC family, a year after her father George W. Bush left the White House.<\/p>\n<p><ev-engagement id=\"horizon_hello\" group-name=\"horizon_hello\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"eTFIq_9j4VY\" data-wc=\"25\">As the story goes, in 2009, Jenna, now 44, was hired by <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/today-show\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\"><em>TODAY<\/em><\/a> to act as a regular contributor and anchor for their various shows.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"75\" id=\"ecoJidrZHZ\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/a75579ac8aa4-gettyimages-2183614285-1.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/a75579ac8aa4-gettyimages-2183614285-1.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/a75579ac8aa4-gettyimages-2183614285-1.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/a75579ac8aa4-gettyimages-2183614285-1.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jenna Bush Hager on the Today Show\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">Jenna Bush Hager looked back on the &#8220;privilege&#8221; afforded to her as the daughter of a former president<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"eYzGBXn5y5Z\" data-wc=\"28\">She&#8217;d built a relationship with them after appearing on the show as a guest while promoting her children&#8217;s book <em>Read All About It!<\/em> with her mother Laura Bush.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ec5TkRHnPVX\" data-wc=\"44\">Her profile on the show continued to grow over the years. In 2019, a decade after she joined, she started her own book club, Read with Jenna. And that same year, she was named the permanent co-anchor of the <em>Fourth Hour<\/em> with <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/hoda-kotb\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Hoda Kotb<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"100\" id=\"eSRbs7Vv_U\">\n<p><figure class=\" he-theme he-viPl-1156a89 he-viPlRe-21701df\"><figcaption class=\"he-viPlTi-167079e\" aria-describedby=\"\"><span class=\"he-viPlStHe-2270db0\">Recommended video<\/span><span class=\"he-viPlStTi-2199585\">You may also like<\/span>WATCH: Jenna Bush Hager&#8217;s Famous Family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"ePcpm96kTw-\" data-wc=\"33\">With Hoda&#8217;s departure, Jenna now co-hosts the <em>Fourth Hour<\/em> with <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/sheinelle-jones\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Sheinelle Jones<\/a>, and on the latest installment of their daytime show, they discussed the impact of nepotism and &#8220;privilege&#8221; on her work ethic.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eT1SgOUh59h\" data-wc=\"44\">Jenna and Sheinelle, 48, discussed <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/us\/917593\/kaia-gerber-breaks-silence-on-heartbreaking-health-struggle\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Homer Gere and Kaia Gerber&#8217;s new <em>Vogue<\/em> cover<\/a>, especially the latter&#8217;s comments about being a child of famous parents in the entertainment industry (<a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/kaia-gerber\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Kaia&#8217;s<\/a> mother is supermodel <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/cindy-crawford\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Cindy Crawford<\/a>, Homer&#8217;s parents are Hollywood stars <a class=\"hm-link he-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hellomagazine.com\/tags\/richard-gere\/\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"article-body-link\">Richard Gere<\/a> and Carey Lowell).<\/p>\n<p id=\"edwdYXSI1YP\" data-wc=\"44\">Jenna, in particular, could empathize with Kaia&#8217;s comments about wanting to &#8220;work harder&#8221; because of her name recognition, and said that she felt the same way when she first joined <em>TODAY<\/em> due to any perceptions of her hiring being due to her father&#8217;s influence.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"75\" id=\"ealWPjqvzH8\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/e29ad00c8b6a-jbh-laura-today-appearance.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/e29ad00c8b6a-jbh-laura-today-appearance.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/e29ad00c8b6a-jbh-laura-today-appearance.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/e29ad00c8b6a-jbh-laura-today-appearance.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"1024\" height=\"715\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"TODAY -- First Lady Laura Bush -- Air Date 04\/22\/2008 -- Pictured: (l-r) Ann Curry, First Lady Laura Bush, Al Roker, Jenna Bush -- First Lady Laura Bush co-hosts the 9 a.m. hour of NBC News' &quot;TODAY&quot; on April 22, 2008\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">She caught the TODAY producers&#8217; eyes when she made a guest appearance alongside her mother Laura in 2008<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"eGQ7pRfivpd\" data-wc=\"43\">&#8220;I was on the show because my dad was president,&#8221; she recalled, adding that &#8220;most people who have parents with privilege&#8221; will understand her feeling of wanting to &#8220;own&#8221; it, which Sheinelle opined was the reason why the people around Jenna admired her.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eRNxgdyT3NiR\" data-wc=\"37\">&#8220;We all work like crazy,&#8221; Jenna said, then admitting that she&#8217;d been confronted with a comment of that nature just a couple months into her tenure on the show, while familiarizing herself with studios and using teleprompters.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p id=\"e_nBmtIx-FM4\" data-wc=\"51\">&#8220;A correspondent said to me, &#8216;We just thought they hired you because of your dad,'&#8221; she revealed. The mom-of-three recognized it as a &#8220;fear&#8221; that others in her position probably had, noting that a lot of the &#8220;mean things&#8221; people say about her online to this day stem from that place.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"200\" id=\"eodzQelxX_W\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/6a791ac5203b-jbh-today-debut.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/6a791ac5203b-jbh-today-debut.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/6a791ac5203b-jbh-today-debut.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/6a791ac5203b-jbh-today-debut.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"TODAY -- Air Date 09\/17\/2009 -- Pictured: Jenna Bush Hager -- Jenna Bush Hager makes her debut as a &quot;Today&quot; correspondent\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">In 2009, Jenna joined the NBC team full-time as a correspondent and contributing anchor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"e5XqukifQpoh\" data-wc=\"42\">&#8220;I get it. And it&#8217;s the thing that probably all of us can feel bad about,&#8221; Jenna noted. &#8220;But then what we do to get over that is work like crazy. Work beyond, to the point that we work ourselves too much.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"eaS96suUsnI9\" data-wc=\"67\">&#8220;I think I&#8217;ve done that now, but for a period, yes, there was that,&#8221; she proudly shared, with her co-anchor pumping her up by saying that she absolutely had proven herself to be worthy of her position, with Jenna also affirming that same belief for her kids, revealing that her eldest daughter Mila was also not taking it lightly and had taken a job over the summer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fr-embedded\">\n<div data-wc=\"75\" id=\"eCntoT4nVm3\">\n<figure class=\"he-meIm-995f02\">\n<div class=\"he-imCo-14461c5\"><img src=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/29174807f134-gettyimages-81073057.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width:1360px) 630px, (min-width:960px) 60vw, (min-width:320px) calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2)), calc(100vw - (var(--page-gutter) * 2))\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/29174807f134-gettyimages-81073057.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_960 960w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/29174807f134-gettyimages-81073057.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_640 640w, https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/original_aspect_ratio\/29174807f134-gettyimages-81073057.jpg?tx=c_limit,w_360 360w\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The couple have been together for over 15 years\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" class=\"image he-image\" data-flatplan=\"fp_photoCaption\"\/><span class=\"he-imCr-1233683\">\u00a9 Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"he-meImCa-17135c3\">&#8220;A correspondent said to me, &#8216;We just thought they hired you because of your dad.'&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p id=\"e7Vy4KRNBLYL\" data-wc=\"22\">&#8220;It&#8217;s one of those things where I feel lucky to be here, and I also feel like I needed to prove it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s been 17 years since Jenna Bush Hager was made part of the NBC family, a year after her father George W. Bush left the White House. As the story goes, in 2009, Jenna, now 44, was hired by TODAY to act as a regular contributor and anchor for their various shows. \u00a9 Getty ImagesJenna&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":41848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/images.hellomagazine.com\/horizon\/landscape\/a0ca13e0bcfb-image.jpg?tx=c_fill,w_1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=41847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/41848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=41847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=41847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=41847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}