NEWSJenna Bush Hager and Twin Barbara Bush Felt Like 'Deer on Ice' Wearing Heels for the First Time at Dad George W. Bush's 2001 Inauguration
Jenna Bush Hager recalled wearing heels for the first time with twin sister Barbara Bush.
Sept. 14 2026, Published 5:14 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager reflected on the unfortunate attire she chose to wear at her father George W. Bush's inauguration.
On the Monday, September 14, episode of TODAY With Jenna and Sheinelle, the anchor looked back on attending the 2001 event alongside her twin sister, Barbara Bush, when they were just 19 years old.
"When you're wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes and your dogs are barking and you have to stand all night," Jenna quipped as she reflected on trying to look her best that day while sporting unbearable footwear.
Jenna Bush Hager and Savannah Guthrie chatted about uncomfortable heels.
Savannah Guthrie was filling in for Sheinelle Jones on the episode and echoed Jenna's sentiments on the perils of impractical shoes.
"Why do we do this to ourselves?" she asked her temporary reporting partner, prompting Jenna to reflect on her very first pair of tried-and-true stilettos.
"The first time I ever wore stiletto shoes, I was at my dad's inauguration," she revealed, recalling being accompanied by her grandparents, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, for George W.'s first term.
Jenna Bush Hager wore heels for the first time at her dad's inauguration.
As a teenager, Jenna explained she had rarely worn fancy shoes before, so the sky-high heels were a new experience.
"I can't even remember where we got them from, but somehow we had these fancy shoes," she remembered. "Barbara probably hooked it up."
Photos from the day showed Jenna and Barbara in long, cream and black checkered coats, coordinating with their apparently very uncomfortable footwear.
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'Deer on Ice'
Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush were likened to 'deer on ice.'
"I had these boots with like stilettos that were so uncomfortable," Jenna explained of her outfit at the cold, outdoor inauguration ceremony.
While Jenna and Barbara stood in misery, their grandparents found the image of the girls hobbling about the prestigious event in heels to be absolutely hilarious.
"My grandparents were behind us and they were just laughing hysterically," she remembered. "They were like, 'y'all look like deer on ice.'"
'Slave to Fashion'
Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Bush were not used to heels.
She reenacted wobbling around the stage with her sister, noting she "never really learned how to walk in heels."
Savannah appeared to be familiar with the situation, likening a girl's first time in heels to a baby deer standing for the very first time.
"We lived in Austin and wore Birkenstocks," Jenna concluded. "We didn't know how to walk."
"Slave to fashion," Savannah joked before moving on with the show.
