Jenna Bush Hager Reveals That Grandmother Barbara's 'Chubby' Comment as a Teen Stopped Her From Wearing a Bikini for Years
Jenna Bush Hager is revealing a story about her grandmother, former First Lady Barbara Bush, that stuck with her for decades. She’s turned the narrative around, but the body-shaming incident did years of damage.
Hager shared the personal moment with Today co-host Hoda Kotb as they were discussing their own “complicated relationships with their body.” She launched into a story about wearing a yellow bikini as a teen and her grandmother making a comment with her “biting personality,” saying, “Oh Jenna, looking chubby.” Hager recalled how that made her feel, “I remember feeling like I wanted to hide in it.” It was a gut punch to her at the time.
Bush eventually apologized to her granddaughter, but it was years later. She explained to Hager that “her mother said those types of things to her” who “always thought of her sister as the really beautiful one and would say it” — and she had passed that generational trauma onto her granddaughter. Bush admitted later in her life that when she said those things to Hager, she was really “talking to [herself].”
That profound moment helped Hager heal from the cruel comment, but she still didn’t “wear a bikini for years.” It took “having three kids, three C-sections” for Hager to muster up the confidence and finally get back into a two-piece swimsuit. She’s now feeling good about herself, and Hager is hoping to pass along that same strong sense of self to all three of her children.
Before you go, click here for more celebrities who’ve spoken out about being body-shamed.