Jenna Bush Hager and George W. Bush.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Like most presidents,George W. Bushwas no stranger to being the butt of jokes during his time in office — and according to his daughterJenna Bush Hager, the former head of state never seemed to mind.
Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of theToday with Hoda & Jenna, 42-year-old Bush Hager told co-hostHoda Kotbthat her own love language “is roasting.”
“Gently roasting,” she clarified. “I try not to be mean.”
When Kotb asked if Bush Hager’s dad liked when she roasted him, the former first daughter responded, “Yes, I like to harass my dad. Like when he was the president, Barbara and I would show him … like theSaturday Night Lives where they made fun of him and stuff. He loved it!”
Bush Hager continued: “Like when Will Ferrell [impersonated him,] but there were other comedians who also did things. Once, we were at the gym and there was a bumper sticker that said, ‘A Village in Texas Is Missing Its Idiot.’ Barbara and I read it, took a minute and then we were like… We told our dad. He didn’t care. He thought it was hilarious.”
“That’s the difference. I think if you can’t laugh at yourself, then you feel like there’s some truth to it,” Kotb replied.
Bush Hager said, “But also, if you’re going to be the president of the United States, people are going to make fun of you. And guess what — it ain’t just about you. That’s how it is, man. That’s how it is, that’s how it’s always been!”
Tina Fey and Will Ferrell impersonate Sarah Palin and George W. Bush on a 2008 episode of “Saturday Night Live”.Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
The former president is no stranger to creating laughs of his own and, since he left the White House, Bush Hager has spent a lot of time recounting some of his funniest moments — including how he made dating “intimidating” and once “humiliated” her husband when the two went on a bike ride together.
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She continued: “So Henry’s humiliated, trying to fix his chain that broke on his Schwinn Twin. He starts going down the hill and the Secret Service open the door on Henry and Henry flies in the air and lands. So my dad calls and goes, ‘Hey, J, just want to tell ya, Henry did an okay job. He did get doored, but he’s okay. He’s got some scratches, he might have hurt his arm, but he’s okay.'”
Afterward, Bush Hager said Henry confided: “I think your dad was trying to kill me.”
source: people.com
