Jenna Bush Hager Jokes She Had an 'Alpha' Personality When First Flirting With Husband Henry Hager

Jenna Bush Hager suggested she may have brought the same bold energy to dating as Keke Palmer, agreeing with Sheinelle Jones after the co-host observed the three women interact with their romantic interests assertively.

"Exactly!" Hager said on TODAY after Jones summed up their approach to flirting. "Frankly, we kind of are alpha personalities."

The discussion began with a clip of Palmer sharing her experiences with flirting during an appearance on the "Friends Keep Secrets" podcast.

"As soon as I start talking, they get in this friend zone," the actress said, explaining how her upbeat approach could leave men thinking she wanted to be friends instead.

"That is definitely aggressive," Jones observed after watching Palmer's clip.

Hager defended Palmer's personality, noting that she behaved similarly around the show's hosts.

"That's her personality. She's like that when she's with us, and I think most people love Kiki for that," Hager said.

Jones wondered whether the right partner could match Palmer's enthusiasm rather than asking her to tone it down.

Jones admitted that she recognized something of herself in Palmer's approach.

"I think I have a Kiki syndrome," she said, adding, "I just think I dominate."

The co-host then tried demonstrating how she might flirt, using her facial expressions to make her point. Hager noticed that Jones' eyebrow seemed to move when she adopted a flirtatious look.

"That little eyebrow comes to attention, right?" Hager joked.

Jones explained that her face could reveal her interest without her deliberately trying to communicate it. "It's like if I think you're hot, this part of my face will tell you," she said, touching the area around her eye.

Jones eventually turned the conversation toward Hager's romantic history. "What about you? Did you flirt with Henry [Hager]? How old were you when you first met him?"

"Sure," Jenna replied, revealing that she was around 23 at the time.

Asked what she did, Jenna demonstrated with a playful shoulder shimmy, making Sheinelle laugh. "I mean, I probably was like Keke Palmer, too," Jenna disclosed.

Sheinelle suggested that women with strong personalities should look for partners who can match their confidence.

"So I kind of feel like, as opposed to trying to reel in the alpha, find a guy who can alpha the alpha," Sheinelle said.

Jenna loved the phrase, exclaiming, "Oh! If you can alpha my alpha! That needs to be sewn on a pillow."

Jenna and Henry married in May 2008 after meeting while working on George W. Bush's 2004 presidential campaign. They share three children: daughters Mila and Poppy, and son Hal.

Jenna has repeatedly spoken warmly about the family she and Henry have built over the years.

Reflecting on their relationship during a May 2024 appearance of TODAY, the 44-year-old gushed, "I feel really lucky to have met somebody that has given me three beautiful little babes. We've created a life together and I'm pretty proud of us."