Jenna Bush Hager’s husband, Henry Hager, took on the guest cohosting role on Today with Jenna and Friends on Thursday, March 27, and Friday, March, 28, and the couple humored the audience with their family stories. During the Friday episode, Jenna and Henry recalled the time their 5-year-old son, Hal, started crying when they shared a kiss in front of him.
“We are in this moment, and I wonder if any of y’all relate, where our youngest son is jealous of our romance,” Jenna, 43, explained before leading the story off to her husband, asking, “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“Well, most recently, as an example, we were in the kitchen and he was eating and everybody was quite happy,” the family patriarch, 46, explained. “And we went over and I gave you a kiss, Just a nice little kiss. I gave you a peck.”
After Jenna clarified they didn’t French kiss, Henry continued, “Hal just started bawling crying. His face, he was all smiles eating, and then it was just …”
“It was as if Hal and I are dating and you swiped in and stole him from me,” Jenna joked, adding, “And Henry goes, ‘Hal, just to be clear, the reason you’re born is ‘cause your mom and I like each other.’”
The family patriarch “antagonized” his son by swooping in for another kiss from Jenna because he jokingly “wanted to let [Hal] know there’s boundaries in this house and he can’t move in on my wife.”
In addition to Hal, Jenna and Henry also share daughters Mila, 11, and Poppy, 9.
Fans got a kick out of the anecdote when the official Jenna and Friends Instagram account shared a clip of the conversation.
“Oh yes! Every single one of my boys has gone through that stage. We are currently experiencing it with one,” one fan wrote in the comments section of the post. “Then all of a sudden, their mom is not who they are going to marry and they move on.”
Meanwhile, other fans shared their liking of Jenna and Henry’s dynamic.
“Henry is so real! The guy who is not seeking any attention which is so rare today, did a great job hosting with Jenna! It was a great two days and brought a nice balance to the show!”
“Henry should cohost occasionally when Jenna needs a partner!” a second fan gushed.
Jenna introduced Today fans to her family since tying the knot with Henry in 2008. In fact, she rounded up their kids to make a sweet good luck video for their day on his debut in the cohosting chair.
“I bet you’re gonna do the best,” Hal said to his dad, before Mila added, “Dad, good luck and do what you practiced in the car because it was really good! Good luck, Dad!”
That said, Mila had her Today show appearances revoked after she shared top-secret information about Jenna in her comfy cozy mode at home.
“Yeah, one time she was laughing in our living room and she peed her pants!” Mila told Jenna’s former cohost Hoda Kotb in December 2022. “You changed your pajamas!”
