Jenna Bush Hager Slams Gen Z for Outlawing Millennial Slang: 'They Can Call Me Unc All Day Long'

Jenna Bush Hager is standing by her millennial texting habits — even if Gen Z thinks they make her look old.

"Gen Z can call me an 'unc' all day long," she declared during the October 23 broadcast of TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle after learning that younger generations consider using "LOL" a sign of "unc" behavior.

"Unc" is a new phrase that is generally used to describe someone who is seen as old or out of touch with current trends.

The conversation began when Arianna Davis Santana, the show's digital executive editor, asked whether Gen Y should retire a familiar texting abbreviation.

"Should millennials be using 'LOL?'" Santana asked during the show's "The Internet's Divided" segment.

"Someone asked on Reddit, 'I notice when I'm texting my Gen Z cousins, I'll say 'lol' if there's something funny, but they never do it. They only type "haha" or an emoji. Is lol solely a millennial thing now?' Before I share what people had to say, are you LOLers?" Santana continued.

"100 percent!" Hager replied.

Sheinelle Jones was equally enthusiastic. "I'm a gazillion percent LOL," she declared, prompting Hager to double down: "LOL. I'm LOL for life."

The co-hosts acknowledged the abbreviation does not always signal genuine laughter.

"Sometimes I realize I'm LOLing, and if I reread it, it's like, I don't want to laugh out loud. I will still say it," Jones explained. "Sometimes LOL is to kind of lighten it."

Hager offered how she uses the abbreviation: "When I write LOL, I also do, like, the skull-and-crossbones, dead."

Santana then revealed the poll results: Twenty percent of respondents thought millennials should stop using "LOL," while 80 percent disagreed.

The conversation moved to a TikTok user's argument that asking to stay at a pal's home without an invitation was rude.

"If I have a friend who lives in New York and I'm traveling to New York, and I say, 'Hey, can I stay with you one night after the Harry concert?' If I just ask them that, that's rude," the TikTok user argued. "Your friend who lives in New York's apartment is not your free hotel."

Jones had a different opinion, explaining, "I disagree. I think if you live in New York, that is the price of playing ball."

Hager sided with her co-host. "Just because you ask doesn't mean you assume they'll say yes. You're just asking. The answer can be no," she said, recalling how she sometimes turned down overnight guests because of other commitments.

Santana shared that 60 percent of respondents thought it was not rude to ask.

The segment closed with a trending blind taste test that sees if participants can tell apart soda from a dispenser, a can and a bottle. She chose Hager to try it, noting that she thought they shared a love of Diet Coke.

"I only allow myself one once every quarter," Hager quipped.

Blindfolded, Hager tasted the drinks and tried to identify how each had been served.

"That's a fountain, and that is delicious," she declared after the first sip. She then tested the next two drinks and guessed what they were.

Santana reviewed the answers afterward, revealing Hager identified all three incorrectly.

"You know why? This is why. She doesn't drink Coke a lot," Jones joked.