Hoda Kotb pokes fun at Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager as she accuses her of ‘practically proposing’ to husband Henry as soon as she met him
Hoda Kotb left her Today co-host Jenna Bush Hager red-faced Monday morning after accusing her of coming on too strong when she first met husband Henry Hager 20 years ago.
The duo were discussing Keith Urban’s comments about feeling “scared and nervous” about asking Nicole Kidman out when Jenna, 42, began reminiscing about meeting her now husband during the 2004 presidential campaign.
“But you made the first move, so he didn’t have to right away?” Hoda, 59, asked as Jenna replied, “Exactly,” before pulling back and adding, “No, I didn’t really make the first move, but kind of… I mean, it was obvious.”
“But you know what I like about you, when you like something or want something, you say it, you don’t hide it, you don’t try to play coy about it, you just say it,” Hoda said as Jenna admitted : ‘Yes, but I held back a bit and kept my options a bit open…’
Hoda Kotb left Jenna Bush Hager red-faced on Monday after accusing her of coming on too strong when she first met her husband
Mum-of-three Jenna admitted she ‘kind of’ made the first move when she met her husband 20 years ago
Jenna met Henry Chase Hager during her father George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign
Jenna, pictured here with Henry in August 2023, said she ‘withdrew a little’ when she first met him
However, Hoda wasn’t convinced when Jenna told her, “Don’t look at me like that!” as the mother of two lightheartedly accused: ‘You didn’t! You practically proposed to him on date three!’
Jenna fired back, “Well I did, but that was after I knew he was caught,” while Hoda responded, “Wait, so first you catch and then you take a moment to look?”
“No, no, at first I actually made the first move, and then I kind of pulled back,” Jenna explained, as Hoda asked her why she did that.
“Because I read the rules!” Jenna replied, as Hoda and the camera crew burst out laughing.
Trying to explain herself, Jenna continued, “And I think you should play it…I know it’s annoying, but when you act like you’re completely crazy about someone…if I had asked you to marry me [on] date one, that might have been too strong.”
“But they do say the deal is, you go a quarter further and let him come three quarters, and then you just age a quarter,” Hoda claimed while Jenna admitted, “Well, I didn’t last. ! I came all in!’
She then asked Hoda, “Okay, have you ever been intimidated to make a first move?”
Hoda responded, “When I really like someone, I say something like, “Oh, I hope we have another date,” and I don’t mind.
The duo were discussing Keith Urban’s comments about feeling ‘scared and nervous’ about asking Nicole Kidman out, when Jenna, 42, started reminiscing
Henry and Jenna got engaged in November 2007 and married the following May
The couple pictured with their three children: Mila, 11, Poppy, eight, and four-year-old Hal
“I’m not like, ‘So he’s going to call me?’ I think it’s okay to put it out there, but I think it’s just human nature that if something is going 100 miles an hour, you back up, and if something is dripping, you unfortunately lean forward.
“So it has to be somewhere in the middle, you make a lot of money,” she added.
“And once they get caught, you can propose, but give them a few months!” Jenna joked.
Jenna and Henry became engaged in November 2007 after he asked President Bush for permission.
The wedding took place in a private ceremony on May 10, 2008 at Jenna’s parents’ Prairie Chapel Ranch near Crawford, Texas.
The happy couple are now parents to daughters Mila, 11, and Poppy, eight, and four-year-old son Hal.