Jenna Bush Hager is building a publishing empire — and it all began with one forbidden childhood moment that changed how she saw the world. .QN

Jenna Bush Hager’s Literary Empire: How Barbara Bush’s “Reading Is Sexy” Pillow Sparked Thousand Voices Books

Jenna Bush Hager is turning pages into power. The *Today* host—now steering the rebranded *Jenna & Friends* fourth hour and delivering the “Morning Boost” after Hoda Kotb’s emotional baton pass on January 10—has launched her own publishing imprint, Thousand Voices Books. Partnering with Random House, the venture expands her media company and builds on the runaway success of Read with Jenna, which has catapulted 47 titles to *New York Times* bestseller status.

“I began tossing around the idea six months ago—and here we are!” Bush Hager tells *PEOPLE*. The imprint’s debut slate includes six 2025 releases, kicking off with Ariel Sullivan’s *Conform*. Skeptics warned her celebrity-led imprints flop, but Bush Hager counters with a built-in audience and proven curation chops. “All the reasons they don’t work, we have a solve for,” she says. “It doesn’t feel like work—I’m having such a great time.”

The book obsession runs deep in the Bush bloodline. Both grandmothers—former First Lady Barbara Bush and Jenna Welch—were librarians, as was mom Laura Bush. Barbara, whose husband George H.W. Bush became VP in 1981, made literacy her cause, founding the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Jenna’s couch now sports a remade needlepoint pillow echoing her grandmother’s: “Reading is sexy.”

A vivid childhood memory seals the legacy. In second or third grade, First Lady Barbara visited with her dog’s puppy and recommended *A Dog Called Kitty*. “It’s this really sad, sweet story,” Jenna recalls. “The dog passes away at the end.” Sobbing in the car, she wailed so hard Barbara joked, “Somebody’s going to think I’m hitting you!” That tear-soaked ride revealed books’ emotional grip—and Jenna was hooked.

Family literacy wasn’t just talk. “Both grandmothers placed huge importance on reading,” she says. From White House sleepovers to Texas summers, stories were sacred. Now, Bush Hager channels that heritage into discovering new voices, even amid L.A.’s devastating fires. Guests Taraji P. Henson and Eva Longoria joined *Jenna & Friends* despite personal heartbreak; Bush Hager leaned on an upcoming (secret) title for hope. “Books have this singular power,” she insists.

Post-Kotb, the show rotates A-listers—Scarlett Johansson next—while Bush Hager juggles motherhood to Mila, Poppy, and Hal. Yet literature remains her north star. Thousand Voices Books isn’t just business; it’s a tribute to the women who taught her words can heal, provoke, and sexy-up a sofa. As wildfires rage and headlines scream, Jenna’s mission is clear: champion stories that light the way forward.