NEWSJenna Bush Hager Reveals Drastically Different High School Superlative From Twin Barbara After Admitting She 'Compared' Herself to Sister
Jenna Bush Hager shared that her twin, Barbara, was voted most likely to model for 'Vogue,' while she was voted most clumsy.
Oct. 14 2026, Updated 11:46 a.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager revealed a stark divide in how she and her twin sister, Barbara Bush, were labeled in their school days.
"Barbara was voted 'Most Likely to Be on the Cover of Vogue' in our high school, and I was voted 'Most Likely to Trip Across the Stage at Graduation,'" Hager shared on Today With Jenna & Sheinelle.
Jenna Bush Hager and twin Barbara Bush grew up in Texas.
A Sisterly Confession Sparked Hager's Reflection
Phylicia Rashad revealed on Michelle Obama’s podcast that she and sister Debbie Allen both grew up feeling like the less attractive twin.
The discussion followed a recent episode of "IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson." In a clip, legendary actress Phylicia Rashad recounted a vulnerable past conversation about childhood insecurities with her sister, Debbie Allen.
"I always felt that Debbie was beautiful and that I was not," Rashad admitted. The 78-year-old then narrated how shocked she was to learn that Allen had harbored the exact same feelings in reverse.
Recalling the moment she finally confronted her sister about it, Rashad shared that her sister told her, "But you're the beautiful one, you're the one. I was always trying to be beautiful like you."
The former Cosby Show matriarch disclosed that the two sisters broke down crying, recognizing how differently they had viewed themselves.
Hager Said She and Her Sister Had Experienced Something Similar
Hager related to Rashad, admitting that siblings inevitably compare themselves to one another.
Watching Rashad process those childhood vulnerabilities hit close to home for Hager, as she too grew up navigating the intense public eye alongside her twin sister.
After watching the clip from Obama's podcast, co-host Sheinelle Jones asked, "You're a twin. Did you ever feel that?"
Validating the emotional reality of sibling envy, Hager explained that you simply "can't help but compare yourself to each other as a sibling."
The former first daughter admitted she felt a unique sense of longing watching Rashad reflect on that breakthrough. "I'm almost envious of it," Hager confessed. "To be able to have a conversation like that...to be able to go back to your childhood and say, 'Wait, but I liked you,' or 'Yeah, I envied you.'"
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Hager Said Her Parents Never Compared the Twins
Despite conflicting high school superlatives, Hager credited her parents for never comparing the twins and protecting their sibling bond.
The high school superlatives highlighted the stark differences in how peers perceived the two girls. However, Hager credited her parents for protecting their bond at home.
"The really wonderful thing is that, like, my parents didn't compare us," shared the 44-year-old.
Jones Emphasized the Importance of Personal Healing
Sheinelle Jones noted that personal healing helps siblings overcome childhood envy, letting them talk openly and grow much closer.
Reflecting on both sets of sisters, Jones pointed out that outgrowing childhood insecurities requires internal growth. She praised both pairs as "really good examples of using it to make you guys better, stronger, and almost becoming a stronger unit."
"When you can work on yourself and be able to really sit with who you are, I think it makes it easier to then be able to have that conversation where you say, 'We're both doing it, and we're in a healthy enough place,'" she said.
