NEWSJenna Bush Hager Thrilled as Will Ferrell Dusts Off Spot-on Impression of George W. Bush on 'Today': 'I Was Hoping This Was Coming'
Will Ferrell whipped out his George W. Bush impression for Jenna Bush Hager.
July 16 2026, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Will Ferrell reprised his spot-on impression of George W. Bush while completing a challenge on TODAY With Jenna & Sheinelle.
Jenna Bush Hager tasked Ferrell with doing three celebrity impressions if he did not make a simple putt while promoting his new Netflix series, The Hawk, on Thursday, June 16.
Ferrell didn't quite get his ball into the hole at the end of the makeshift green, so he presented Bush Hager with an impression of someone very close to home.
Will Ferrell pulled out a hilarious impression of Jenna Bush Hager's dad.
'I Was Hoping This Was Coming'
Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones challenged the cast of 'The Hawk' to a little golf game.
"Here's the thing about golf," he said in a Texas accent to immediate roars of glee from Bush Hager's co-host, Sheinelle Jones.
"I was hoping this was coming," Bush Hager responded.
Ferrell turned to address Bush Hager as if she were his own daughter.
"And we used to talk about this when you were just a little girl," he continued. "You need a lot of 'strategery' to get the ball in the hole."
Bush Hager nodded along as Ferrell fought not to break his character.
"That's your dad," he finally concluded to resounding applause.
Amy Poehler and Tina Fey have been known to do impressions of the Bush twins.
Ferrell became known for his Bush impression while he was a cast member on Saturday Night Live in 2000. He designated the made-up word "strategery" as his version of the former president's trademark.
Bush Hager and her twin sister were also famously parodied on the show in the early 2000s by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.
Poehler thanked Bush Hager for being a good sport about her sensationalized impression when she appeared on the Today show in February 2025.
“Thank you for having such a good sense of humor, and I think we had fun in that sketch. We didn’t come too hard,” Poehler told Bush Hager. “But it’s not always easy to sit next to the person that you impersonated.”
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How Does George W. Bush Feel About Will Ferrell's Impression?
Jenna Bush Hager told Hoda Kotb that she and Barbara Bush often showed their dad impressions of him.
In 2024, Bush Hager confirmed that her father didn't mind being mocked on television during his two terms as president from 2001 to 2009.
"I like to harass my dad,” she said to her then-co-host, Hoda Kotb. “When he was the president, Barbara and I would show him the Saturday Night Live where they made fun of him and stuff. He loved it."
"If you’re going to be the president of the United States, people are going to make fun of you,” she added. "And guess what, it ain’t just about you. That’s how it is, man. That’s how it’s always been."
Molly Shannon, Luke Wilson, Fortune Feimster and Jimmy Tatro star in the new Netflix series.
Ferrell was tasked with two other impressions as a penalty for his missed shots while promoting his new series in which he plays a washed-up golf player.
He delivered a spot-on performance of his iconic character Ron Burgundy from the 2004 comedy film Anchorman first, and for his third impression, the movie star settled into his well-known version of late baseball producer Harry Caray.
The comedian stars in The Hawk alongside Molly Shannon, Luke Wilson, Fortune Feimster and Jimmy Tatro. Season 1 was released on July 16.
