Jenna Bush Hager Felt 'Insecure' About the Secret Service Following Her Around in College While Dad George W. Bush Was President

Jenna Bush Hager admitted that being the First Daughter throughout her college years was not easy.

During the Tuesday, October 21, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends, the talk show host, 43, reflected on feeling "insecure" about the Secret Service following her around at the University of Texas at Austin.

Bush Hager's father, George W. Bush, was elected President of the United States while she was a freshman.

Jenna and guest co-host Savannah Guthrie discussed the recent headline, "Americans are missing their college glory days," prompting the mom-of-three to reflect on her own experience.

"You had an incredible college career that we sometimes read about in the news," Savannah called out her friend.

"Some of it was not so incredible, actually, but towards the end of it, I felt a lot of freedom," Jenna confessed. "I started in college in a sort of unusual circumstance. My dad became president the year I started college...one of our agreements was that we would have a lot less Secret Service. And then September 11 happened. Obviously, I needed more, so that made sense."

The media personality disclosed that she had "men with fanny packs" following her around, and there was a "level of insecurity" surrounding the amount of security.

"I was embarrassed. I remember I couldn't really go alone to places," she said.

Savannah pointed out how if her dad were still president, there would be a man with an earpiece standing across the room from them on the set of her talk show.

"Those were days I would not want to go back to. But then, because I pushed through it and found out who I was by my senior year, I felt really great," Jenna expressed. "I'd gone through a lot in four years, so there was a freedom that came with it. I loved my friends. I felt very clear about who I was. I miss those no-responsibility times."

She lamented over not being able to go out anymore and "do whatever you want," now that she's all grown up.

Jenna previously recounted an awkward moment during her college years: getting arrested twice. In 2001, she was handcuffed for underage possession of alcohol in Texas and for using a fake ID to purchase drinks.

"I was arrested! There’s a mugshot that says I didn’t get away with it," she dished on the August 11 episode of Today.

In 2023, she clarified that she never actually went to jail for her wrongdoings.

"I didn’t actually go to jail, I just was arrested," she told Hoda Kotb at the time. "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."