Jenna Bush Hager, 43, shocked her “Today with Jenna & Friends” guest co-host by sharing a surprising story about the birth of her daughter Magaret “Mila” Hager.
Hager and her husband, Henry Hager, first became parents in April 2013, but Magaret’s birth story is what left “Saturday Night Live” star Ego Nwodim, 36, stunned.
During an on-air conversation regarding reports of men attending mostly female workout classes, the daughter of former President George W. Bush shifted the conversation to discussing her first pregnancy.
“On the day my first child was born, she was very early, and I went to a SoulCycle class,” Hager said in the Feb. 7 episode. Nwodim’s jaw dropped immediately and unseen people off-camera metaphorically clutched their pearls in response.
“She was very early! Don’t gasp at me!” Hager fired back before explaining that Mila arrived weeks ahead of the typical 40-week gestation period. “She came at like 35 and a half weeks or something, she was early.”
Hager then recalled her husband not believing she was actually in labor when he received a phone call from his wife’s twin sister, Barbara Bush.
“It was at my baby shower that my water broke and Barbara called Henry to tell him I was going to the hospital and he was like, ‘Those sisters have played pranks on me, I’m not falling for it!’”
She said he didn’t believe it until Carrie, a producer for the “Today” show convinced Henry to go to the hospital to be with his spouse for Mila’s birth.
Nwodim was not the only person stunned by Hager’s comments. Internet users weighed in on the idea of a pregnant mother working out hours before giving birth.
“37 weeks pregnant and decides to go to a cycling class. Jenna- just stop,” said one Daily Mail critic.
Others continued the criticism, calling her “Classless and tasteless,” for choosing to share her birthing experience on global television.
“Some things should remain private. Good luck with that, right,” wrote another individual in Yahoo’s comment section under an article about Hager discussing the final days of her first pregnancy.
A second commenter wrote, “Too much information. Why don’t the two of them meet after to show and have a cup of coffee and discuss that and find something more interesting for the general audience? It’s always about her, people don’t care.”
A self-proclaimed ex-viewer added, “I can honestly say that she’s the reason I quit watching ‘The Today Show.’”
Another observer posted, “Never a fan. The inappropriate things she has shared on this show make me wonder every day why she is still on. Now with Hoda gone, we will see how long she lasts.”
Jenna previously faced public pushback in Oct. 2024 for controversial remarks she made about her 5-year-old son Henry “Hal” Hager during an episode of the “Today with Hoda & Jenna” show.
“He says things that are kinda rude, like ‘I’m not his girlfriend,” Hager said about Hal. Her then-co-host, Kotb, asked, “How did this girlfriend thing even begin?”
The mother of three added, “I like to say, ‘I love you so much. I’m your girlfriend.’ And I like him to say, ‘Yeah, Mommy’s my girlfriend.’ OK? I know I have major issues.”
Critics called Hager joking about having an Oedipal relationship with her own child “gross.” However, some fans defended the “Everything Beautiful in Its Time” author by referring to her story about Hal as “sweet.”
Mila arrived on April 13, 2013. Jenna gave birth to their son, Hal, on Aug. 2, 2019, via a cesarean section procedure. In addition to Mila and Hal, the Hager family also includes a second daughter, Poppy Hager, who was born on Aug. 13, 2015.
Jenna and Henry met as he was working on her father’s 2004 presidential re-election campaign. The couple wed on May 10, 2008, at her parents’ Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas.
Jenna joined the NBC network as a correspondent and contributor for “The Today Show” in 2009. She was eventually hired to be a permanent host of the fourth hour of the daily morning show.
“Today with Hoda & Jenna” premiered in April 2019. Following Hoda’s departure in Jan. 2025, the program was repackaged as “Today with Jenna & Friends” and featured guest hosts such as Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer, Eva Longoria, Scarlett Johansson, and Ciara.
