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Today Show Jenna Bush Hager in the NBC studios © Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I

Jenna Bush Hager's fans clock her permanent Today co-star following telling moment on show

Jenna previously co-hosted with Hoda Kotb

Hanna Fillingham
US Managing Editor
February 5, 2025
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Jenna Bush Hager has been sitting alongside a number of different co-hosts since Hoda Kotb left the Today Show in January, but fans think they've found the permanent replacement! 

If it was up to viewers at home, Jenna would sit alongside one familiar face in particular, following a joyful episode this week. 

George W. Bush's daughter sat alongside SNL star Ego Nwodim on Monday, and their chemistry was more than apparent. Jenna and Ego hit it off right away, and the show was made all the more sweet by Ego being surprised by her mom Okey Mwodim. 

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After watching the show, many fans took to social media to discuss their hopes for Jenna and Ego to work together long term. "You two are the best together, please hire her permanently," one person wrote, while another commented: "Love you both together, really enjoyed the show." 

A third added: "The connection between these two hosts is magical." A fourth remarked: "Ego is the one! Seal the deal!!! The chemistry is awesome." 

Jenna Bush Hager's fans are hoping she will permanently co-host alongside Ego Nwodim© NBC
Jenna Bush Hager's fans are hoping she will permanently co-host alongside Ego Nwodim

Jenna has sat alongside a number of well-known faces over the past few weeks, including Eva Longoria, Taraji P Henson, Keke Palmer and Scarlett Johansson. 

Jenna has been working on the Fourth Hour since 2019 after replacing Kathie Lee Gifford. 

Jenna and Ego had great chemistry © NBC
Jenna and Ego had great chemistry

She has been holding the reins since Hoda left on January 10, with the departure resulting in a total name change and format. 

Previously the show has always had two co-hosts, but now it's been re-named Jenna and Friends. It was announced shortly after Hoda made the decision to leave Today that Jenna wouldn't be getting a permanent new co-host, but instead a rotating guest list of famous faces. 

Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Tuesday, January 7, 2025© Getty
Jenna with her former co-host Hoda Kotb

Jenna said of Hoda leaving soon after the news broke: "I am so proud of her," she said. "Although, I will say I walk around even here, and people are like, 'Congratulations, Hoda!' And I feel like the girl that just got dumped,. 

"And people are like, 'You made the best choice, Hoda!' And I'm like, 'Did she? Did she make the best choice?'" She also joked that she was going to start showing up at her door like a stalker. "I will be there on your doorstep, and we are your friends forever," she added. 

Jenna Bush Hager's surprising reaction to famous co-host after Hoda Kotb's departure
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty I
Jenna has been working on the Fourth Hour since 2019

It's been a busy time for Jenna, who announced on Instagram on February 4 that she will be embarking on a book tour with her twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush, ahead of the release of their new children's book, I Loved You First. 

The sisters will be hitting cities like Dallas, Tampa, and Charleston, as they take the picture book on the road. "We're going on [a] book tour!" Jenna announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday. 

Jenna with her twin sister Barbara© NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via
Jenna with her twin sister Barbara

"Join me and my sissy from Connecticut to Texas! Link in bio for more info — see y'all on the road SOON!" 

Their latest book, due for a March 25 release, will "celebrate the bond between parent and child," according to Amazon. It is an "expansive and gently whimsical celebration of parental love" and features illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki. 

Jenna and Barbara have written a number of books together, including Sisters First in 2019, its sequel Love Comes First in 2023, The Superpower Sisterhood in 2022, and their 2018 memoir Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life.

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