NEWSJenna Bush Hager Exposes Cheeky Nicknames Parents Laura and George W. Bush Call Each Other
Jenna Bush Hager revealed the sweet names George W. Bush and Laura Bush use to address each other.
June 2 2026, Published 2:09 p.m. ET
George W. Bush and Laura Bush have a cheeky set of nicknames for each other.
During the Tuesday, June 2, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, Jenna Bush Hager explained her parents’ unusual way of addressing one another.
Sheinelle Jones recalled reading about the nicknames during a particular passage in Jill Biden’s new memoir, View From the East Wing.
George W. Bush and Laura Bush call each other 'Bushie.'
“One time, I was meeting with President Bush at the George W. Bush library after speaking to military families there…” Jill, 74, wrote. “Laura came in and said, ‘Hey, Bushie,’ then sauntered into the hallway for a cup of coffee as he smiled at her.”
“That sounded like you were reading a romance!” Jenna, 44, exclaimed as Sheinelle, 48, read the story aloud.
Jenna Bush Hager's parents call her 'Benny.'
“That’s how it felt!” her costar insisted. “I was on the beach this weekend, and I went…first of all, I’ve been sitting next to Jenna for how many weeks and months, and you’ve just never [said that].”
“Am I supposed to be like, ‘So my mom and dad call each other ‘Bushie?’” Jenna asked, while Sheinelle answered with a resounding yes.
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Sheinelle Jones thinks George W. Bush and Laura Bush's nicknames for each other are 'flirty.'
The 48-year-old wondered how it felt hearing her parents be “flirty” toward one another.
“They call each other ‘Bushie.’ My dad loves a nickname. Do you know that my dad called my husband [Henry], before he was even my boyfriend, ‘Stretch,’ because he’s tall?” Jenna recalled. “He called me ‘Benny.’ When they were little, they called each other ‘darling,’ which is very Texas in the '80s. I can’t remember when ‘Bushie’ became the thing, but they both call each other ‘Bushie.’”
George W. Bush and Laura Bush used to call each other 'darling.'
Jenna and Sheinelle dissected Jill’s deliberate word choice in describing how Laura, 79, “sauntered” away from her husband, also 79.
“[My mom is] such a lady…more than I am, she probably is more feminine…” the 44-year-old explained. “[Jill] had a little pin in it when she said ‘You can tell they have a nice romantic relationship’...that was a little spice in this book.”
Sheinelle Jones Thinks Jenna Bush Hager Is 'Spicy'
Jill Biden wrote about the dynamic between George W. Bush and Laura Bush in her book.
Sheinelle revealed that upon reading the book, she realized Jenna got some of her “spiciness” from her mother.
“I’m spicy?” Jenna asked in shock.
“You’re joking. You’ve got to be kidding. You’re joking right?” Sheinelle replied.
“You mean funny…remember we talked about how we don’t think we’re s---?” Jenna remembered.
“Your mama don’t think she’s [s---], but sauntering? A little spicy. You’ve got that all day,” her costar claimed.
“I do? Well, thank you,” Jenna said as the studio audience clapped.
