Former First Lady Laura Bush and her twin daughters, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush, reunited on Today With Jenna & Friends this week for a warm and deeply personal conversation—one that blended nostalgia, humor, and the kind of honesty that only comes from family. The appearance marked a special moment for the Bush sisters, who are celebrating the release of their new co-authored book, I Loved You First, a project that explores sisterhood, identity, and the unshakable bond they’ve built over decades in the public eye.
Sitting side by side on the morning show set, the trio opened up about motherhood, memory, and the messiness of growing up—especially when those growing pains play out under the glare of national attention. Jenna, now a mother of three and a longtime host on NBC, remarked that every phase of raising children brings a new kind of chaos. “Every stage is so wild,” she said, smiling as she glanced at her mother.
Laura Bush seized the moment to deliver a playful reminder. “And what stage is two 13-year-old girls?” she teased, sending all three into laughter.
Jenna quickly tried to defend her teenage self, insisting, “We were pleasant!” But her mother gently pushed back, recalling a phrase former President George W. Bush often used during those turbulent years: “I’m always gonna love you no matter what. Stop trying to make me not love you.”
The sisters readily admitted the truth beneath their parents’ humor. “Teens can be tricky,” Jenna said. Barbara followed with a grin: “We were spicy.”
The segment also revisited a defining moment from their past—one that cemented the Bush twins as tabloid fixtures during their father’s first year in the White House. Earlier in the show, Jenna and Barbara revealed their joint People magazine cover, which accompanies the launch of their new book. But Barbara noted it wasn’t their first time appearing on the magazine’s front page.
With characteristic candor, Jenna pulled up the infamous June 2001 cover that ran after both sisters were caught drinking underage. “Oops! They did it again,” the headline read, a reference to Britney Spears’ hit song—and a reminder of the relentless scrutiny the teenage twins faced. The Bush family declined public comment at the time, calling it a “private family matter,” but the sisters still became the center of a national media conversation about presidential children and public expectations.
Reflecting on those years, Jenna told People magazine that the “absolute best blessing” her parents ever gave her was the freedom to be herself—even when that meant making mistakes in front of millions. “The freedom just to be ourselves and to make mistakes,” she said, “was the greatest gift.”
As adults, Jenna and Barbara have charted their own paths—Jenna as a broadcaster and bestselling author, Barbara as an activist and founder of Global Health Corps. Yet their bond remains the constant, a connection deepened by growing up in one of America’s most visible families.
Their conversation on Today was not just a book promotion—it was a reminder that even the daughters of a president are allowed to be young, flawed, and human.
Today with Jenna and Hoda airs weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.
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