Jenna Bush Hager shared a “strange” detail about the day her husband, Henry, proposed to her on a mountaintop, admitting she was “in a very bad mood” before he popped the question.
During a candid chat on Thursday’s episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, the 42-year-old and her co-host, Hoda Kotb, were discussing Lady Gaga’s recent comments about her Michael Polansky proposal, when Jenna decided to remember hers.
Gaga, 38, confirmed that Michael proposed to her while they were rock climbing, but not when they were at the top, prompting Hoda, 60, to say, “Isn’t that interesting?” Not at the top of the mountain, which was perhaps predictable,” but Jenna was not impressed.
Hoda laughed as the mother of three defensively said, “They proposed to me from the top of a mountain.” You call that a predictable proposition? before continuing: ‘We hiked Cadillac Mountain which is in Acadia in the Maine National Park, which is very beautiful and he proposed to me at the top.
‘Now listen, I wasn’t predicting it. I was actually very grumpy, a little grumpy, and he said, “Let’s stop for a Luna Bar, the sun is about to rise, let’s watch it together,” and I said, “No, I’m too cold to stop.”
Jenna Bush Hager has shared a ‘strange’ detail about the day her husband, Henry Hager, proposed to her on a mountaintop.
Henry and Jenna photographed in May 2006, less than a year before he proposed while they were hiking in Maine.
“I said, ‘Let’s keep going, please,’ and he said, ‘Can we stop for a Luna Bar?’ and I said, ‘No, we can’t,’ and finally he said, ‘We’ll stop at a Luna Bar.'” and then he proposed to me.
Hoda, who recently announced she was leaving her job at Today, later commented, “I think some people like to do big proposals and big things and shows and all that kind of stuff, and I think some people… your thing was private”. ‘ when Jenna responded, ‘Well, it was private except there was a Secret Service man a couple steps behind!’
The mother of two laughed and then said, ‘So after you and Henry, he was the first person to find out about your proposal?’ Isn’t it strange?
“Yes, very strange,” the former First Daughter responded, before adding, “That’s why I need a lot of therapy!”
Jenna was just 23 when she met Henry, now 46, during her father George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign.
After a nervous Henry asked President Bush for permission to marry his daughter, he proposed to Jenna in August 2007.
The happy couple got married in a private ceremony on May 10, 2008, at Jenna’s parents’ Prairie Chapel Ranch, near Crawford, Texas.
Last month, Jenna admitted that she and her twin sister, Barbara, “burst into tears” when their father told them he had made the decision to run for president of the United States of America.
Henry and Jenna, pictured here in August 2023, celebrated 16 years of marriage in May of this year.
Jenna photographed with her father, former President George W. Bush, on their wedding day in Texas in May 2008.
While hosting an episode of Today With Hoda & Jenna in September alongside fill-in host Sheinelle Jones, Jenna was talking about her next guest, Ketanji Brown Jacksonand his new memories when he decided to share the anecdote.
“She has a story, and I’m going to tell it to you before she gets here because it’s been weighing on my conscience,” Jenna told Sheinelle, 46.
“So, she writes about when she was on President Obama’s short list to become a possible Supreme Court justice, she and her husband sat their daughters down, she has two girls, and said, ‘Listen, this is going to change.’ your life. and I want to make sure it’s okay with you.’ And they said, ‘Yes, mom, this has been your dream, we believe in you.’
She continued: ‘Well, I have a similar story…unfortunately, when I was 16, my dad sat my sister and me down and said, “Listen, we really want your support. I’d like to run for president.” “‘
His co-host, Sheinelle, asked, “What did you say?” as Jenna revealed: ‘We burst into tears! As only twins can do, we cried in unison! We said, “No, you’re going to ruin our lives, Dad.” And then we said, “And even if you run, you’re going to lose.”
“Well, that didn’t happen,” Sheinelle responded as Jenna joked, “Well, I was close!” Anyway, we went after him and since then, as adults, we have publicly apologized. That was horrible.’
Of course, George W. won the November 2000 election and was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009.