The *Real* Reason Jenna Bush Hager Is Missing From Today
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The June 24 broadcast of Today With Hoda & Jenna was hosted by Hoda Kotb and Sheinelle Jones, leading viewers to wonder: Where is Jenna Bush Hager on Today? Here’s what we know about the co-host’s absence and when she’s expected to be back.
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Where is Jenna Bush Hager on Today?
Jenna Bush Hager was noticeably missing from the June 24 taping of Today With Hoda & Jenna, which she’s co-hosted since 2019 alongside Hoda Kotb. In her place was Sheinelle Jones, co-host of 3rd Hour Today and Weekend Today. Bush Hager’s absence was not addressed during the episode, but Kotb and Jones managed to carry on just fine without her. The two women were joined by actress Jennifer Garner and her mother, as well as Bravo exec Andy Cohen, who jokingly made fun of Kotb’s outfit.
Bush Hager previously mentioned on the show that she would be speaking at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival with author Chris Whitaker, whose bestselling novel All the Colors of the Dark is her book club’s pick of the month. According to the festival’s website, she and Whitaker spoke about his book and its central themes during a June 24 panel discussion. The mom of three also joined several women for a panel on “The Dilemma of Modern Parenting,” which discussed building “resilient humans” while balancing “family and work life.”
The speaking event comes shortly after Bush Hager’s media company, Thousand Voices, announced that they will be teaming up with UCP and Dinner Party Productions to adapt Whitaker’s book into a TV series. “Chris Whitaker has created a beautiful masterpiece in All the Colors of the Dark,” Bush Hager in a statement at the time. “This genre-bending book combines small-town America and the deep dedication of friendship inside an epic thriller. We are so excited to partner with dynamos Sue Naegle and Ali Krug and the brilliant Sarah Gubbins to bring this incredible book to television.”
The Instagram page for Bush Hager’s book club shared several photos of her and Whitaker in Aspen, captioned: “It was a pleasure to have @explorebooksellers in Aspen host a #ReadWithJenna celebration in honor of July’s pick, ‘All the Colors of the Dark’! @chriswhitakerauthor & @jennabhager sat down for a panel discussion to talk about the upcoming book release, which is TOMORROW! Be sure to pick up your copy when it publishes!”
It’s unclear when Bush Hager will return to Today, but she is not slated to speak at any other events during the festival, so she’ll likely be back some time this week. We’re also unsure if her family, which includes husband Henry Chase Hager, daughters Mila and Poppy Hager and son Hal Hager, tagged along or if the trip to Aspen was a solo visit.
Bush Hager is the daughter of former President George W. Bush and she’s been with NBC since 2009. She started off as a correspondent and contributor, but her role evolved as time went on and she eventually began filling in for Today hosts when they couldn’t make a taping. In April 2019, she began co-hosting the fourth hour with Kotb following Kathie Lee Gifford’s departure.
Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life
The journalist is also an accomplished children’s author and her list of published books include Sisters First, Our Great Big Backyard, The Superpower Sisterhood and Love Comes First. Bush Hager also co-wrote the memoir Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life with her fraternal twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush.
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