Jenna Bush Hager has always had a co-host on Today, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t wondered what it would be like to go solo on the small screen.
Bush Hager chatted about her longtime role at the NBC morning show on the Wednesday, May 20, episode of Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers‘ Las Culturistas podcast. Reflecting on his experiences guest-hosting the fourth hour of Today with Bush Hager, Rogers asked, “Sometimes I’m there, and it’s such a natural thing at the show to be like, ‘Coming up next, it’s this person.’ How often are you gagged? How often are you like, ‘Oh, no.’ And then, are you really grateful to have someone sitting next to you?”
Bush Hager said she doesn’t often freak out over the show’s celebrity guests, as “everybody is super kind” the majority of the time. “It sort of lives up to your [expectations],” she added.
For the moments when Bush Hager does get starstruck, she said she is glad to have a co-host by her side. “I’m definitely a team [player], like, I want a teammate. You know?” she stated. “I would not want a solo show because I like to play off somebody. I like to laugh with somebody before the show even starts.”
She continued, “You know Hoda [Kotb]. I loved Hoda so much. I still love Hoda. I see her all the time. I talk to her all the time. It feels really good to be in [a] community. You know? I don’t want to be solo, by myself, because then there’d be pressure there.”
NBC
Bush Hager joined Today as a correspondent in 2009 before taking over for Kathie Lee Gifford as Kotb’s fourth hour of Today co-host in 2019. The show relaunched as Today With Jenna & Friends in January 2025, following Kotb’s exit from Today. Bush Hager continued to lead the show with an ever-changing cast of celebrity guest hosts, including both Yang and Rogers.
In December 2025, it was announced that Sheinelle Jones would become Bush Hager’s new full-time co-host. Jones officially started her role on the fourth hour of Today, now titled Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, in January.
During the podcast, Bush Hager’s current look came up after Yang revealed that her name was cut from a Saturday Night Live sketch about bob haircuts. However, Bush Hager made a surprising comment about her appearance as the trio discussed Botox earlier in the episode.
“I’m always like, ‘I could use a little more,’ but then, I think everybody’s so scared because we’re on TV that all of a sudden, I couldn’t move my face,” she admitted. “And my daughter the other day was like, ‘Mom, you know, you could probably use a little Botox. And I’m like, ‘Mila, I get Botox.'” (Bush Hager shares three kids — Mila, Poppy, and Hal — with her husband, Henry Hager).
Rogers was surprised by Mila’s comments, joking, “Mila drags you.”
Bush Hager agreed, adding, “I know, man. She really does. If you feel like you’re too big for your britches, get a 13-year-old to hang out with you for a little. She’s like, ‘And your hair highlights, I can see your grays.’ And by the way, I do like change accordingly. I made an appointment.”
Today With Jenna & Sheinelle, Weekdays, 10 am, NBC
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