George W. Bush on the “Manningcast” show.Eli Manning/YouTube
“I’ve actually asked him, and maybe I’ll do a public ask for him to come and be a ‘friend’ since he’s my father,” Bush Hager confessed on Wednesday.
Her co-hosts pointed out that Bush doesn’t really make television appearances, to which the journalist replied: “Well, he said he was retired so I was surprised as anyone to see him on Monday night.”
Savannah Guthrie said that Bush didn’t have to leave the comfort of his own home for his “ManningCast” appearance. However, to come on his daughter’s show, that requires a trip to the Big Apple.
“Why don’t you go to Texas and do the show from there?” Al Roker asked.
Bush Hager said she didn’t think “Jenna & Friends” had that type of budget.
“I feel like for a former president we could find it,” Craig Melvin quipped.
She responded: “Okay, I’m sure he’ll still say no. He says things like, ‘I don’t watch your dumb show.’ ”
The “Today” co-hosts erupted in laughter, with Carson Daly adding: “That’s why we love him!”
Despite Bush not wanting to come on the NBC program, his daughter has had quite a few family members join her in the past.
Bush Hager’s husband, Henry Hager, twin sister Barbara Bush Pierce, and many cousins all made appearances.
In March, Bush Hager’s mom, former first lady Laura Bush, joined Bush Pierce for a special sit-down.
In 2018, Bush Hager also interviewed her father and grandfather, George Bush Sr., for the “Today” show.
In 2021, President Bush came on “Today with Hoda & Jenna” during a segment on immigration.
“Mom and I are very proud of your independent views,” President Bush told his daughter while on air. “You take time to understand issues, and you’re not afraid to speak your mind.”
Bush Hager hasn’t shied away from sharing family conversations with the public over the years.
In October, she recounted a Christmas Eve dinner at the Bush family home that brought her mom, 79, to tears.
“My dad was like, ‘You a–holes!’” she said at a Midi Health event at the time. “We couldn’t believe it. We looked at him, and he said, ‘Your mom’s going through menopause; go and apologize.’ ”
Bush also supported his daughter following the news that Kotb, 61, was departing the show.
“I don’t know if you’re embarrassed to say this or not, but I think you should,” Kotb told Bush Hager earlier this year. “You called your dad. And I remember when we first started working together you were afraid.”
Bush Hager recounted talking to her dad when she replaced Kathie Lee Gifford as Kotb’s co-host on the 10 a.m. hour show on “Today” in 2019.
“I called my dad when I started. He said, ‘I’m so happy for you — and Hoda’s the star. You’re gonna be okay with that, right? You’re gonna be okay with sharing the spotlight with the star?’” Bush Hager said.
“I said, ‘Yeah. Of course.’”
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