Jenna Bush Hager Says Her Dad Roasted Her So Hard, Barack Obama Felt Bad For Her

Entertainment

Leave it to your family to knock you down a few pegs.

On Monday’s episode of “Today with Hoda & Jenna,” Jenna Bush Hager gave her co-host, Hoda Kotb, a recap of her weekend — and it involved eating a big ol’ slice of humble pie served up by her dad.

On Saturday, Bush Hager moderated a conversation between her parents, former first lady Laura Bush and former President George W. Bush, at an event in Los Angeles called “History Talks,” Variety reports. The half-day event was hosted by A&E and the History Channel, and featured guest speakers like Kevin Costner, Eva Longoria, Kerry Washington, Kate Winslet, John Legend and former President Barack Obama.

“I was with my parents, which is always really hilarious because [of] the dynamic,” Bush Hager told Kotb.

Although Bush Hager was the moderator of the discussion, it doesn’t seem like her father took her role as the leader very seriously.

“I would give some insight here or there, when I felt like I could,” Bush Hager said of her moderating style. “But other than that, [my father would] be like, ‘Yeah, Jen, OK, why don’t you tell everybody about the time you were arrested?’”

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Bush Hager was arrested in 2001 at age 19 for attempting to buy alcohol at a Chuy’s Mexican restaurant with someone else’s ID. She was attending college in Austin, Texas, at the time. Her twin sister, Barbara, was in tow, but was not arrested.

Their father was in office at the time, so we’re sure the incident was a whole lot of fun for the entire Bush family.

Although Bush Hager didn’t specify any other jokes her dad made about her during the event, she did imply that his cracks weren’t limited to her 2001 arrest, telling Kotb she underwent a “one-hour roast.”

“I would ask questions, he would roast me a little,” Bush Hager said. “I would ask a question, slight roast.”

Bush Hager said it was so brutal that later, when she and her folks went to say hello to Obama, even he was a bit pained by her public humiliation.

Former President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush and "Today with Hoda & Jenna" co-host Jenna Bush Hager.
Former President Barack Obama, former President George W. Bush and “Today with Hoda & Jenna” co-host Jenna Bush Hager.

“President Obama was there, so we got to see him for a little bit. And he was like, ‘How do you do that? Why do you come and do this?’” she said, to Kotb’s confusion.

“President Obama said this to you?” Kotb asked.

“He must have seen some of the roasting,” Bush Hager said. “And he said, ‘This must be hard for you.’ And I said, ‘Yes, it is.’”

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It’s not like Bush Hager hasn’t publicly poked fun at her father, however.

Earlier this month, Bush Hager shared a story on “Today” about how she and her sister begged her father not to run for president as teenagers.

“Unfortunately, when I was 16, my father sat my sister and I down and said, ‘Now listen, we really want your support, I’d like to run for president.’ [Barbara and I] broke down in tears,” Bush Hager recalled.

“As only twins can do, we cried in unison,” she continued. “We said, ‘No!’ We said, ‘You’re going to ruin our lives, Dad.’ And then we said, ‘And even if you run, you’re going to lose!’”

Bush Hager said she and her sister later apologized — but we’d like to think that the former president was just waiting for the right moment to get his revenge.

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