
Jenna Bush Hager Admits People Once Thought She Was in a 'Satanic Cult'

Jenna Bush Hager squashed rumors about being in a cult on 'TODAY With Jenna & Friends.'
July 18 2025, Updated 1:07 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager made it very clear she was never in a cult.
During the Thursday, July 17, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends, the talk show host, 43, recalled a shocking fake headline about her that followed a fun night out.

People once thought Jenna Bush Hager was in a cult.
"When my father [George W. Bush] was president, there was this cover of this magazine that I was on, which I believe was a tabloid. Star, or one of them. Don't sue me, Star!" she started of the incident, which occurred somewhere between 2001 and 2009.
Bush Hager remembered flashing the Texas Longhorns signal while singing, "The Eyes of Texas," at a concert, leaving her ripe for media misinterpretation.
"They said that I was in a satanic cult. There was a whole article about it," she laughed. "Isn't that hilarious?"
Guest co-host Octavia Spencer thought the story was "ridiculous" and asked how long the buzz followed her around.
"I don't know, I just read the [article]. I thought it was humorous," Bush Hager shrugged.
George W. Bush Was 'Mad' About Barack and Michelle Obama Divorce Buzz
Octavia Spencer guest-hosted 'TODAY With Jenna & Friends.'
The mom-of-three also revealed her father's reaction to recent rumors about Barack and Michelle Obama getting divorced, which the couple eventually denied.
"I remember I called my dad, and I was like, 'Have you heard this rumor?' He's like, 'I don't believe it. It's not true.' And I'm like, 'Okay. Love you,'" the host said. "He was kind of mad that I called to even ask. He was like, 'That isn't true. I know them, and that isn't true.' Sometimes, when you're in the public eye like that, those rumors start."
- George W. Bush Was 'Mad' Over Barack and Michelle Obama Divorce Rumors, Reveals Daughter Jenna Bush Hager
- Jenna Bush Hager Claims 'Today' Crew Shamed Her and Sister Barbara Bush With Underage Drinking Question
- Jenna Bush Hager Says Parents former President George W. Bush & First Lady Laura Bush 'Were Not Strict'
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Barack and Michelle Obama Address Divorce Rumors

Barack Obama joined wife Michelle's podcast.
The Obamas tackled the hearsay themselves when the 44th U.S. president joined his wife on the Wednesday, July 16, episode of her "IMO" podcast.
"I watched that three times, because you can see their dynamic, which is so refreshing and cute..." Jenna expressed. "The whole world created all these rumors because they weren't even in the same room."

Barack and Michelle Obama are not getting a divorce.
At the beginning of the podcast episode, Michelle's brother, Craig Robinson, joked about their relationship.
"Wait, you guys like each other?" Craig asked.
"She took me back...it was touch and go for a while," Barack teased.
Michelle directly asserted how people automatically assume they're divorced when they aren't in the same room.
"There hasn’t been one moment in our marriage where I have thought about quitting my man," she confirmed. "We've had a lot of fun times, a lot of adventures, and I have become a better person because of the man I’m married to."