Long Before Fame, Jenna and Barbara Bush Had Unexpected Names Thanks to a Toddler Mix-Up That Sparked a Family Joke .QN

Jenna Bush Hager has never been shy about sharing personal stories from her childhood, but her latest revelation on Today with Hoda & Jenna has fans laughing — and a little surprised. The Today co-host revealed that she and her twin sister, Barbara Bush Coyne, were once given boy names by their parents, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush, after a mix-up that stuck around far longer than expected.

While chatting about “childhood wounds” and how early experiences shape adult personalities, Jenna confessed that people often mistook her and Barbara for boys when they were toddlers. “Somebody once said, ‘Your twin boys are adorable,’” she recalled. “So my parents thought it was funny and started calling us Benny and Beau.”

The nicknames — meant as a joke — became part of the Bush family’s lore, and Jenna joked that the mix-up helped define her sense of humor. “It made me funny,” she laughed. “If I’d been the cute little pageant girl, I probably wouldn’t have developed a personality.”

The conversation turned reflective when Hager and co-host Hoda Kotb discussed how moments of insecurity in childhood — being picked last in gym class, not getting flowers on Valentine’s Day, or feeling overlooked — can actually fuel ambition and resilience later in life. Jenna admitted she often felt like the “chubby kid” no boys wanted to dance with, but said those experiences ultimately gave her confidence and drive.

“I think the kids who weren’t the cutest or most popular when they were little often grow up to be the most successful,” Hager said. Kotb agreed, noting that those early rejections often push people to work harder and find strength in themselves.

For Jenna, it’s clear that her sense of humor, empathy, and down-to-earth nature — the same qualities that have made her one of TV’s most relatable hosts — were forged in those very moments of awkward childhood honesty. And while “Benny” and “Beau” may have started as a family joke, they became a reminder that even in one of America’s most famous families, growing up came with its own share of self-doubt and laughter.

Today, the once “twin boys” are proud mothers, authors, and public figures who continue to share their stories with openness and heart. Jenna’s candid reflections — equal parts hilarious and heartfelt — prove that sometimes, the nicknames that embarrass us as kids end up shaping who we become.

Behind every confident woman, there’s a younger version who learned to laugh through the teasing — and maybe even a childhood nickname she never quite outgrew.