Jenna Bush Hager is going Hollywood!
The 44-year-old former teacher, daughter of former US President George W. Bush, and current co-host of the Fourth Hour of TODAY, has officially been tapped as a TV producer.
It was revealed on Tuesday, January 13 that Jenna will be an executive producer on the pilot Protection, which has been greenlit by NBC's Universal Television.
© Getty ImagesShe will act as an EP alongside Joshua Safran, who wrote and created the show Quantico, as well as acted as an EP on the shows Gossip Girl, Smash, and the short-lived 2021 Gossip Girl reboot.
Per Deadline, the new pilot's production was greenlit as part of a first-look deal her production company, Thousand Voices, has with NBC, the home company for TODAY.
Jenna and her TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle co-anchor Sheinelle Jones celebrated the news on the January 14 episode of their show, with Sheinelle taking the moment to "announce it" and dubbing her co-host a "boss."
© Getty ImagesAn official logline for the series reads: "When a U.S. Marshal falls in the line of duty, a seemingly cut-and-dry case turns into a deadly conspiracy as a family of law enforcement agents become the target of a mysterious assassin."
It continues: "Bridging personal differences and crossing professional boundaries, the Thornhill family must use the expertise from a lifetime of protecting civilians and politicians to protect one another and bring the killer to justice… even if it means betraying their sworn code."
The show is an operative and espionage drama-thriller in the same vein as Quantico, and amid congratulatory messages on the show from Sheinelle and other members of the studio, Jenna shared more details of what viewers can expect.
"NBC called us yesterday, we've been working on this for a while," she explained. "Who knew I would do something like this, ladies and gentlemen?" She went on to explain that the show is about "different levels of law enforcement," and is keen to pull from her own experience as the daughter of the President of the United States and being surrounded constantly by the secret service.
© TODAY"Y'all know I know about that," she joked. "It's a mystery, and I joined all the pitches." She noted that she found joy in seeing the "jaws drop" of the producers in the room when they heard the show's big twist, which she immediately branded "so good!"
Jenna promised that, because it's a pilot, the twist will be delivered right off the bat, and they hope to start shooting in the spring, imploring her fans to "cross your fingers!" The pair ended the segment reflecting on making big choices for oneself, connecting it to Sheinelle's recent experience of taking on a new position with TODAY months after her husband's death.
© Getty ImagesWhile she says she's still "swimming through mud" at times, the lesson is to just "show up," adding: "You do the hard thing. And hopefully the universe will give it back."
