ENTERTAINMENTJenna Bush Hager Recalls Pal Craig Melvin Believing She Was Spending Thanksgiving at Wendy's: 'I'd Rather a Frosty Than a Turkey'
On 'TODAY With Jenna & Friends,' Jenna Bush Hager hilariously recalled telling Craig Melvin she's going to Wendy's on Thanksgiving.
Nov. 13 2025, Published 1:25 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager has an unexpected Thanksgiving preference.
During the Thursday, November 13, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends, the talk show host, 43, recalled a recent conversation in which Craig Melvin misunderstood that she was going to Wendy's for Thanksgiving dinner.
As Bush Hager approaches the holiday season, she's prioritizing "slow[ing] it down" at her cousin's house.
Jenna Bush Hager and Craig Melvin co-host 'Today.'
"Craig Melvin goes, 'So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?' I go, 'I'm going to Wendy's,'" she recounted. "[She] is my cousin. But he thought I was actually going to Wendy's. And he goes, 'God, JBH, you're really one of the people!'"
Guest co-host Leslie Bibb went on to praise a Wendy's Frosty.
"I'd rather a Frosty with those French fries than a turkey any day," Bush Hager agreed.
Leslie Bibb's Hilarious Thanksgiving Memory
Jenna Bush Hager is laying low this Thanksgiving.
The White Lotus star recalled her own unconventional Thanksgiving from a few years ago.
"I remember one year, our heat went out, and my mama forgot to pay the heat, because we had oil in our house," she explained. "It was Christmas Eve, and we had no heat in the house. We couldn't cook, and we couldn't do anything. We went to Krispy Kreme Donuts...the best. They had the sign that said 'hot donuts,' and we had hot chocolate."
The media personality emphasized that women, in particular, always try to make things "perfect," but "perfect isn't fun."
"Perfect isn't Krispy Kreme, which a kid would be delighted by," Bush Hager quipped.
The Today host shares kids Mila, 12, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 7, with Henry Hager, all of whom will likely join her for this year's Thanksgiving festivities.
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Jenna Bush Hager's Kids 'Laugh' When She Tries to Scold Them
Jenna Bush Hager is spending Thanksgiving with her cousin.
During the Friday, November 7, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Friends, Jenna reflected on the difficulties of parenting her daughters.
"I can get things done. But mainly, when I'm like, 'Girls, I've had it. I've come in here three times. Turn around. Go to bed.' They just laugh...." she said. "My new thing is, 'Okay, if you're ready to go to bed at nine.' Hal, my angel is already asleep. I've already put the angel to bed. He's set. 'Mother, I'm grateful for everything you do for me.' The girls, on the other hand, who are like reincarnates of Barbara and me, are just messing with me. So last night, I'm like, 'Okay, ya'll can laugh at me. Peace out.' I just turned on the sound machine as loud as I could, and I went to bed. I think we need to ignore them more."
Jenna Bush Hager's Dad George W. Bush Was Too 'Friendly' to Punish Her as a Kid
Jenna Bush Hager prefers Wendy's over a Thanksgiving turkey.
When Jenna was younger, her father, George W. Bush, had a hard time punishing her.
"Even though my dad was the leader of the free world...he was friendly. He was funny, and friendly, and we were like, 'Aw, pop-sicky,'" she explained of the former president. "He would say something and we'd be like, 'We love you, pop-sicky.'"
