Skip to main contentSkip to footer

Jenna Bush Hager tears up in emotional moment: 'I'm going through something'


Jenna welcomed her three children with her husband, Henry Hager


Jenna Bush Hager was in tears as Hoda spoke about her departure on the Fourth Hour© Today Show
Faye James
Faye JamesSenior Editor
July 31, 2025
Share this:

Jenna Bush Hager's children are growing up so fast!

The Today show star revealed how she is coming to terms with her eldest daughter, Mila, hitting new milestones after their family attended a concert together in New York.

Major milestone

jenna bush hager family gracie abrams concert© Instagram
Jenna and her family attended Gracie Abrams' concert in New York

Jenna and her husband Henry Hager took Mila and their middle child Poppy to see Grammy nominee Gracie Abrams play at Madison Square Garden during the week, an experience which sparked a profound emotion in the author.

"It was so much fun and I don't like…I'm going through something, obviously," she shared on Today with Jenna and Friends on Wednesday.

"My oldest is going into middle school," she added. "For whatever reason, we sat down, and this is like, think about how embarrassing this is as a child. And just seeing how excited they were for her. I started crying. I was like, 'This is so beautiful'…To see this concert through their eyes."

Jenna Bush Hager's daughter Mila poses for a sunkissed photo in their lawn shared on Instagram© Instagram
Mila recently turned 12

She added that Henry went to get drinks for their family, which left her to think about how quickly Mila was growing up.

"I was just thinking, like, this could be the last time my seventh grader is cool with sitting next to her mom at a concert. In a few years, she's going to be going with all of her buddies and not mommy," Jenna shared. 

Photo shared by Jenna Bush Hager from attending a White House Christmas party, featuring her daughter Mila© Instagram
Jenna teared up over the thought of Mila going to a concert without her

"And [Henry] got back and he was like, 'Are you crying again?' And I was like, I just was thinking time is going so fast."

"And she'll sit next to me and hold my hand a little," the 43-year-old recalled. "And he's like, 'Don't cry. She's humiliated. You know, you want to keep her next to you.' But it was so fun."

Growing pains

Photo shared by Jenna Bush Hager April 20, 205 featuring her husband Henry Hager and their kids Mila, Poppy and Hal during their Easter Sunday festivities© Instagram
She and Henry share three kids

Jenna and Henry share three children: Mila, 12, Poppy, nine, and Hal, five

Mila earned a reputation when she appeared on an episode of Today in 2022 alongside her momand proceeded to spill Jenna's secrets to the delight of her co-stars.

"One time she was laughing in our living room and she peed her pants!" Mila laughed as she told the story. "You changed your pajamas!"

Jenna Bush Hager and Mila Hager© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I
Mila exposed her mother's secrets on-air

She also spilled that her mother rarely wore underwear, to which Jenna replied: "Thank you, Mila. Thank you so much."

After her co-star Hoda Kotb's exit from the show in January, the former First Daughter revealed that Mila wanted to return to the show despite her previous appearance going awry. 

"You know who really wants to do it? Mila Hager," Jenna told E! News. "She said something very controversial. So therefore, my husband gave her a lifetime ban. We'll see if that's lifted, maybe for bring your kids to work day. But she hasn't been always the most supportive, let's just say that."

Hoda Kotb shocks fans with surprise reunion with Today stars Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I
Hoda departed the show in January

Hoda and Jenna were incredibly close and manned Today's fourth hour together for years, before the 60-year-old stepped away to take care of her young daughters Haley and Hope. 

Hoda launched her own wellness platform, Joy 101, in May, hoping to help people live a "more joyful, balanced, beautiful life". 

To learn more about Jenna's sweet family dynamic, watch below...

Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Jenna Bush Hager And Husband Are Surprised By Their Kids On-air
More Celebrity News
See more