Jenna Bush Hager couldn’t help but laugh at herself about getting busted for underage drinking in college after her Today producers asked her a loaded question about the first cocktail she ever loved.
The 41-year-old co-hosted the show with her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, on Thursday when they played a game called “First Loves” that wasn’t as innocent as it seemed.
Jenna accused her producers of setting her up after they were caught off guard by a question that alluded to their previous brushes with the law.
“The first cocktail I ever loved… Wow,” said Barbara, filling in for Hoda Kotb.
Jenna Bush Hager accused Today producers of “shaming” her and her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, during Thursday’s show after asking them a loaded question about drinking
Barbara and Jenna were busted for underage drinking during their freshman year of college. The twin sisters are pictured in 2004
“I think they’re trying to shame us,” Jenna chimed in. “With our underage drinking and our low alcohol possession.”
“Yes, that was rude,” Barbara agreed.
The Bush twins were caught with underage drinking during their freshman year of college, just months after their father, former President George W. Bush, was sworn into office.
Despite the implication, Jenna had no problem bringing up their previous quote before answering her producers’ question.
“I would have to say it was probably a wine cooler,” she said of the first cocktail she loved.
“Definitely a wine cooler,” Barbara replied.
“Or a Natty Light,” Jenna added, earning a disgusted groan from the audience.
“Or do you remember when there was something called Strawberry Hill?” Barbara asked. “I don’t know if that still exists, but I liked it, it was all sugar.”
Jenna and Barbara were playing a game called “First Loves” when they were asked to name the first cocktail they loved
“I think they want to shame us,” Jenna told her sister. “With our underage drinking, low alcohol possession.” Barbara agreed and said: ‘Yes, that was rude’
The sister both eventually answered the question and said their favorite drink growing up was a wine cooler. “Or a Natty Light,” Jenna added, earning a groan from the audience
Jenna noted that the sweet wine also “made you feel terrible.”
The twins have both been outspoken about their underage drinking arrests and even wrote about it in their 2017 memoir, Sisters First.
Jenna was a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin when she was first arrested by police in April 2001 for drinking a beer at a club. She pleaded no contest to the charge of underage alcohol possession that same month.
She was ordered to pay $51.25 in court costs while serving eight hours of community service, and was also ordered to attend an alcohol awareness course.
The following month, Barbara, a student at Yale University, was visiting Jenna in Austin when they were arrested for trying to purchase alcohol at Chuy’s, a Mexican restaurant chain.
This came after the manager alerted restaurant authorities to report that a group of individuals who did not look like they were ordering alcoholic drinks.
Jenna was a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin when she was first busted by police for drinking a beer at a club in April 2001, just months after her father’s inauguration.
Jenna and Barbara were later arrested for trying to buy alcohol at an Austin restaurant and ended up on the cover of weekly magazines. They are pictured in 2005
Jenna and Barbara enjoyed dinner with their parents in their home state of Texas last weekend while celebrating former First Lady Laura Bush’s 77th birthday
Barbara had already been caught when the police arrived and was charged with underage possession, while Jenna was dismissed for using an ID that belonged to someone else who was of legal drinking age.
The incident landed the two on the cover of weekly magazines.
Jenna recalled on the Today show last year that her father eventually apologized to her and her sister after telling the first daughters they could be “normal” in college.
“The fact that we thought we could do that just speaks to how (our parents) were like, ‘Oh, you can be normal, it’s okay,'” she said, admitting it was “stupid” for her and her sister. to act as public figures who were underage.
“When I called my dad to say, ‘I’m really sorry… I got a ticket for underage drinking,’ he said, ‘No, I’m sorry,’” he explained.
“We embarrassed (our parents), but they never said that. He said, “I’m sorry, I told you you can be normal, and you can’t. You can’t order margaritas.”