Jenna Bush Hager has recalled how she and her twin sister, Barbara Bush, were arrested for underage drinking when their father, former President George W. Bush, was in office, and said he eventually apologized to her for that he told her she could be “normal”.
The Today star, 40, was discussing the paperback release of her book Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss with her co-host Hoda Kotb, 57, on Tuesday’s show as she discussed her father’s surprise reaction said her quote.
In 2001, Jenna was a student at the University of Texas at Austin when she was subpoenaed for underage alcohol possession and using a fake ID to purchase alcohol within five weeks.
Scroll down for videos
Jenna Bush Hager, 40, shared her father George W. Bush’s surprising reaction when he was arrested for underage drinking while he was in office on Tuesday’s Today show in 2001
The Today presenter recalled that when she called her father (pictured in 2001) to tell him about the quote, he ended up apologizing to her for telling her she could be “normal”.
“Barbara and I were together. I think we were about 19.5 maybe 20, close enough but not allowed [to drink]’ she said of them when they tried to buy alcohol at a restaurant.
“The fact that we thought we could do that only speaks to how [our parents] were like, “Oh you can be normal, it’s fine,” she added, admitting it was a “stupid” thing for her and her sister to act as underage public figures.
“When I called my dad to say, ‘I’m really sorry … I got this ticket for underage drinking,’ he said, ‘No, I’m sorry.’ We were embarrassed [our parents], but they would never say that,” she explained. ‘ He said, ‘I’m sorry, I told you [that] you can be normal and you can’t. You can’t order margaritas.
Jenna was first picked up by police in April 2001 for having a beer at a club and that same month pleaded no charges on underage alcohol possession charges.
She had to pay $51.25 in court fees while doing eight hours of community service, and she also had to take an alcohol awareness class.
Jenna said her father told her, “I’m sorry, I told you [that] you can be normal and you can’t. You can’t order margaritas
In 2011, Jenna was a student at the University of Texas at Austin when she was subpoenaed for using a fake ID to purchase alcohol with her twin sister, Barbara Bush (pictured in 2004). The incident happened five weeks after Jenna was subpoenaed for alcohol possession
The next month, Barbara, a student at Yale University, was visiting them in Austin when they were arrested for trying to buy alcohol at Chuy’s, a Mexican restaurant chain.
This comes after the manager notified the restaurant’s authorities to report that a group of people who did not appear to be 21 were ordering alcoholic drinks.
Barbara had already been served when police arrived and was charged with underage possession, while Jenna was denied for using an ID belonging to someone else who was of legal drinking age.
The incident landed the two on the covers of weekly magazines.
“We’re embarrassed [our parents] — though they never said it — on the world stage. We’ve gotten in trouble with the law!’ Jenna told Hoda about her public transgression.
Jenna said the fact that they thought they could act like normal college students was a testament to how their parents raised them
“We’re embarrassed [our parents], although they never said it, on the world stage. We’ve gotten in trouble with the law!’ said Jenna (pictured with her father and sister in 2005)
Earlier this week, the Today stars kicked off Jenna’s book tour with a discussion before a live audience in New York City on Monday night.
They both posted photos from the event on Instagram, with Jenna thanking Hoda for her love and support.
“So grateful to be working with the most generous, dearest friend! Thank you to all of you and @hodakotb for coming out on a freezing Monday to celebrate my book going into paperback,” she wrote.
Hoda praised her co-star on her Instagram post, writing, “Beautiful night with my lovely @jennabhager. She walks this earth with her heart out for all to see. #everything beautiful has its time.’
She shared a similar sentiment on Tuesday’s Today show, saying it was “so lovely” to see Jenna talk about her grandparents on stage.
Jenna admitted to Hoda Kotb that it was “stupid” for her and her Barbara to try to buy alcohol when they were socialites and underage
The Today stars kicked off Jenna’s tour for the paperback release of her book Everything Beautiful in Its Time: Seasons of Love and Loss in New York City on Monday night.
Jenna wrote the book after suffering the loss of three of her grandparents. She explained on the Today Show that writing the book was an important part of her “grieving process.”
“I wrote this book before the pandemic, before our world changed in many ways, and it was about that time in my life when I lost my three remaining grandparents,” she explained.
“But I also found out I was pregnant with Hal. I got this job to sit next to you. It was this really beautiful year of my life, but it was filled with beauty and then loss.”
Jenna’s paternal grandmother, former first lady Barbara Bush, died in April 2018 at the age of 92. Her paternal grandfather, former President George HW Bush, died in November of that year at the age of 94, less than eight months after his wife.
In 2019, she also lost her maternal grandmother and namesake Jenna Hawkins Welch, mother of former First Lady Laura Bush. She was 99 when she died.
“I recommend to anyone dealing with grief. Write it down and explore who these people are to you,” Jenna advised on Tuesday’s show. ‘That’s what I did.
“I was just thinking about my grandparents. I wrote about their funerals, memories with them, and it was such an important part of my grieving process. I think I was really sad.”