NEWSJenna Bush Hager Reveals Moment Dad George W. Bush Knew She Would Marry Her Now-Husband Henry
George W. Bush told Jenna Bush Hager she would marry Henry if they made it through a 'make-or-break tour.'
May 22 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager’s father, George W. Bush, always had a feeling her relationship with husband Henry Hager would work out.
During the Friday, May 22, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, the host, 44, revealed signs her dad saw that indicated they were destined for marriage.
Before they were engaged, Jenna and Henry took what George called a “make-or-break tour.”
George W. Bush had an inkling Henry Hager would be the one to marry his daughter.
They started off in West Texas and visited her grandma Jenna.
“She packed us up a little cooler with some snacks from Southwest Airlines, some peanuts and such,” the media personality recalled. “And then we drove to Portland, Oregon. We hiked the Grand Canyon. We camped out in West Texas…and my dad was like, ‘If y’all get home and still like each other, I bet you’ll get married.’ And we did.”
Jenna and Henry tied the knot in 2008 at her parents' Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Tx. The couple share three kids: Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 6.
Jenna Bush Hager recounted moments from early in her relationship with husband Henry Hager.
Jenna Bush Hager Introduced Queen Camilla to Henry During Their Early Dating Days
Jenna Bush Hager and Henry Hager got married in 2008.
The former president was not the only person who had an opinion on the earlier days of Jenna’s relationship with Henry. During the Thursday, April 30, episode of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle, she recalled Queen Camilla witnessing their romance at the White House during a State Dinner.
“I first actually met the Queen when she was the Duchess of Cornwall…I brought Henry…” she recounted. “I was a teacher in D.C. Imagine [I was a] teacher in D.C. by day, and in the nighttime, I put on this black dress, and I said to my boyfriend, who was only my boyfriend for six months at that point, ‘Will you come with me to a State Dinner?’”
Jenna, who recently interviewed the royal, continued, “We went to the State Dinner, and when I saw the Queen yesterday, she said, ‘It’s been since 2005.’ I couldn’t believe she remembered that.”
- Jenna Bush Hager Admits Her and Husband Henry's 'Big Heads' Make Them Look Like Siblings: 'We Could Be Brother-Sister'
- Jenna Bush Hager Gushes Over Spending 15 Years With Husband Henry on Wedding Anniversary
- Jenna Bush Hager Reveals She Gave Her Husband A 'Manipulative Ultimatum' Prior To Getting Engaged
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
Jenna Bush Hager and Henry Hager share three kids.
During the mom-of-three’s recent interview with Camilla, she informed her she wound up marrying the man she brought to the dinner.
“She said, ‘I’m glad it worked out…you were really throwing him into the fire,’” Jenna dished. “I said, ‘Yes, I was.’”
Jenna Bush Hager and Henry Hager previously took a 'make-or-break tour.'
A throwback picture of the young couple at the event then flashed on the screen.
“Aw, what a beautiful dress, Jenna. Do you still have that dress…and those earrings? You guys are very handsome. You guys look very royal,” co-host Sheinelle Jones said of her friend’s low-cut black frock.
“That’s how I was trying to look,” Jenna confirmed.
