Jenna Bush Hager opens up about arrest with sister Barbara Pierce Bush: ‘We were wild’  

Jenna Bush Hager may be a doting mother, successful author and beloved Today host, but the 43-year-old was not always perfect.

Jenna sat down with her sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, ahead of the release of their children’s book, I Loved You First.

The twins were joined by their mother, Laura Bush, in a Today show segment where they discussed growing up in the White House under intense public scrutiny. 

“We were so thrilled to get two of you at once,” Laura said of her daughters, who were born in November 1981.

“But sometimes we were wild,” Jenna chimed in.

“You were always wild,” her mother added, calling the blonde beauty “the wildest” of the two. 

When asked what she learned from mothering two girls, the former First Lady quipped, “It taught me to be very patient.”

“Were you great? Not really,” she added, referring to Jenna and Barbara’s years spent making headlines in the press. 

“We only got arrested twice,” the Today star interjected, before her mother clarified that while Jenna had been locked up on two occasions, her sister had only been arrested once. 

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Jenna and Barbara were charged with underage drinking while their father, George W. Bush, was President, and the author previously recounted her second arrest to Hoda Kotb. 

“I didn’t actually go to jail, I just was arrested,” she clarified on Today in 2023. “I wasn’t even arrested, I was never detained. I just got a minor in possession of alcohol when I was 20 years old because I ordered a margarita at Chuy’s with a fake ID.” 

In the latest Today segment, Jenna praised her parents for their parenting choices as they navigated living in the White House and raising twin daughters. 

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“You guys gave, which I think was a really great gift, us the freedom to make mistakes,” she told Laura. 

“We didn’t expect y’all to be perfect,” the 78-year-old replied.

The twins thanked their mother for her support when the interview wrapped, sweetly sharing that “this book is for you.” 

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Barbara and Jenna share a close bond, and the brunette beauty even joined her sister on March 24 to co-host Jenna & Friends with her. 

“This is easy. We’ve been practising for this since our childhood,” Jenna quipped in an interview with People. “We had a talk show called Barbara & Jenna & Friends in the womb.” 

However, Barbara cautioned viewers not to get too attached to her presence on the morning show. “It was a hit,” she said of her appearance. “I’m going to keep the seat warm for two days, and then I’m going to return to my cave.” 

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Jenna later told USA Today that working with her sister came naturally to them both. “Barbara’s a pro,” she gushed. “She’s really good at it. So this has been an easy way to ease into the week.”

The twins are no strangers to writing books together, having penned four others including their memoir, Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life, and the children’s books Sisters First, The Superpower Sisterhood and Love Comes First. 

Their latest book is “an expansive and gently whimsical celebration of parental love,” according to the synopsis.