Jenna Bush Hager has been a staple on the Today show for over 15 years, but just months after Hoda Kotb left the show, the star confessed that she has been thinking about her ‘next chapter.’
The Today with Jenna & Friends host, 43, opened up about what she plans to do whenever her time on the morning show ‘comes to a close’ during Wednesday’s episode.
The acclaimed anchor confessed that she has a ‘dream’ of leaving New York and moving back to Austin, Texas, where she grew up, with her husband, Henry Hager, and three kids after she leaves Today.
And while she didn’t specify when that would be, she hinted that it may be sooner than later since she said she wanted her children Mila, 12, Poppy, nine, and Hal, six, to go to a ‘big public high school’ like she did as a kid – and her eldest is just a few years away from starting high school.
‘I think everybody should have chapters in their lives. I have a dream – I don’t know how realistic it is – but when the Jenna & Friends chapter comes to a close…’ she said before an alarmed co-host Matt Rogers cut her off.
‘Well why would that ever happen?’ he asked.
‘Well… linear television, baby! Who knows?’ Jenna responded with a laugh.
‘But when I’m ready to go to my next chapter, I think it would be so nice to move back to Texas and let my kids – I went to a big public high school – have a different life.’
Today with Jenna & Friends host Jenna Bush Hager confessed that she’s been thinking about her ‘next chapter’ during Wednesday’s episode
She opened up about what she plans to do whenever her time on the morning show ‘comes to a close,’ and said she wants to move back to Austin, Texas, where she grew up
Jenna joined the Today show back in 2009 and began co-hosting Today with Hoda & Jenna in 2019. It was renamed earlier this year following Hoda’s departure.
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Hoda, who was part of NBC News for 26 years, stepped down in order to spend more time with her young daughters, Haley Joy, eight, and Hope Catherine, five, whom she shares with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.
She has been keeping busy since leaving the show, and recently launched her own wellness company Joy 101.
Jenna’s shocking admission comes weeks after she was called out for seemingly body shaming a dad on the show.
The 43-year-old mom-of-three was discussing men wearing Speedos with her co-host Dwyane Wade after a New York City-based dad named Tyler Moore went viral for wanting to normalize dads wearing the swim shorts.
During the segment, Jenna voiced her distain for the revealing swimwear.
‘If my husband brought out a Speedo, I’d be shocked,’ she said. ‘And by the way, a man thigh?’
Dwyane then quipped: ‘Yeah, a hairy man thigh, nobody wants to see that.’
She said she wanted her children Mila, 12, Poppy, nine, and Hal, six, to go to a ‘big public high school’ like she did as a kid
She said, ‘When I’m ready to go to my next chapter, I think it would be so nice to move back to Texas and let my kids – I went to a big public high school – have a different life’
Before the segment moved on, a photo of Tyler and his children popped up on screen which led to Jenna commenting: ‘And I would just say, not every dad looks like that model dad that we just put on TV.’
Following the episode, Tyler hit out at the remarks and said that it was ‘surreal’ to have his ‘body publicly discussed and shamed on national television.’
Taking to threads, he wrote: ‘Last week, my decision to wear a Speedo while lap swimming and open water swimming was discussed on The Today Show.
‘During the segment, Jenna Bush Hager commented, “No one wants to see hairy man thighs,” and followed up by saying, “Not every dad looks like that model dad,” referring to a photo of me in the suit.
‘It’s a surreal experience to have your body publicly discussed and shamed on national television.’
Tyler’s comments were part of a larger post about body shaming, in which he urged the media and others to stop commenting on women’s bodies.
Jenna’s shocking admission comes weeks after she was called out for seemingly body shaming a dad on the show
The mom-of-three was discussing men wearing Speedos after a New York City-based dad named Tyler Moore went viral for wanting to normalize dads wearing the swim shorts
‘Seeing women tearing other women down over gaining or losing weight is insane to me,’ he wrote.
‘Seeing men even having an opinion on this is even more insane to me.
‘Is being taught if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all a thing of the past? SMH.
‘Nobody wants to hear your thoughts on their body, so let’s please try to make this world a *sliver* of a better place by not tearing down someone you may or may not know.’