‘Today Show’: Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager Share Their ‘Worst Dates’
Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager of the Today Show both have full family lives. Kotb is engaged to Joel Schiffman, and the couple is raising their two adopted daughters, Haley and Hope. Hager is closing in on her 13th wedding anniversary with her husband, Henry. The couple have three children – Mila, Poppy, and Hal.
Before balancing careers and home life, both Today stars went through the usual dating traditions when they were single. Kotb and Hager swapped stories on the dates they’d prefer to forget.
‘Today Show’ co-host Jenna Bush Hager had a run-in with the Secret Service – literally
In light of Single’s Appreciation Day on Feb. 15, Kotb and Hager kicked off a conversation about dating on Today with Hoda and Jenna. When Kotb asked her co-host to recall her worst first date, Hager was able to immediately respond, recalling an early outing with her husband prior to tying the knot.
“My worst first date involved the Secret Service, let’s just leave it at that,” Hager told Kotb with a laugh, according to Today.com. “It was with Henry [Hager], and his car ran out of gas and went backwards and hit the Secret Service.”
As daughter of 43rd U.S. president George W. Bush, Hager was used to having a protective entourage. Yet she didn’t anticipate a literal run-in with her Secret Service detail.
“He started to go up the hill and then booooop, crash,” Hager recalled. “I was laughing but [Henry] was horrified.”
‘Today’ star Hoda Kotb reluctantly spilled details of a New Year’s date
Though Kotb didn’t want to reveal any details about her worst date, she ended up sharing the story that took place on New Year’s Eve.
“I was so excited, I got all dressed up, I never felt prettier in my life than in that moment,” Kotb recalled. “He showed up wearing jeans and a T-shirt. He was like, ‘Come over, we’re going to my house,’ and I was like, ‘Ew.’”
Despite her trepidation, Kotb proceeded with their plans but left way before midnight.
“There were a bunch of guys wrestling a German shepherd and I sat on the edge of a chair and was like, ‘This is the worst New Year’s Eve,’” the Today star remarked. “It was like guys being like, ‘Bro! Let’s get more beer!’ and then I went home.”
‘Today with Hoda and Jenna’ stars are enjoying family life
After getting engaged in November 2019, Kotb and Schiffman had planned on an August 2020 wedding. Having to postpone the event due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), Kotb isn’t worried about an official date.
“We’re a family,” she explained, as reported by Today.com. “A family is a family is a family. I’m going to be really happy to get married, and I’m also perfectly fine right now as we nest and do our things.”
Hager celebrated her son’s first birthday in August 2020 by having a party with her parents after being separated for eight months due to COVID. The Today co-host expressed her gratitude at having her family together again.
“We got COVID tests to go and see them,” Hager said. “They’d only seen Hal maybe once… Mila is now waking up at 5 in the morning because she was there waking up, running down to be with her Grammy and Jefe, and I just think even little moments of being with family (are special).”
