The daughter of George W. Bush says she definitely faced judgement after being hired by NBC.

Jenna Bush Hager recalls Today colleague’s blunt nepotism comment

The daughter of George W. Bush says she definitely faced judgement after being hired by NBC.

By Leigh Blickley

August 13, 2026 10:40 a.m. ET

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Jenna Bush Hager on ‘Today’. Credit:

TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle/YouTube

- Jenna Bush Hager shares one colleague’s comment to her about her privilege.

- The *Today* anchor said she’s always had to work hard to prove herself in the business.

- Jenna Bush Hager’s dad is former President George W. Bush.

Jenna Bush Hager said she’s overcome privilege in the workplace by working extra hard.

During a conversation on* Today With Jenna & Sheinelle* on Wednesday, Bush Hager admitted that she’s had to deal with nepotism comments during her tenure at NBC News. She’s very aware of the fact that she got her broadcasting job, mostly, due to her dad, George W. Bush, being a former president of the United States. She also knows she’s worked twice as hard to prove her worth.

“I wouldn’t have been given that opportunity [if it weren’t for my parents], and I know that,” Bush Hager, whose mom is former first lady Laura Bush, told cohost Sheinelle Jones. “And I think most people who have [famous] parents, we have a privilege that we know and you can own that.”

Bush Hager then shared that when she left her teaching job in 2009 and started at *Today* as a contributor, a colleague noted her privilege in a blunt comment.

“Eventually, I took the interview, and I started here, and I remember—and I’m not going to say who but— month two, where I’m just trying to learn this [business], once a correspondent said to me like, ‘We just thought they hired you because of your dad,’” Bush Hager shared. “And that’s, you know, everybody’s fear that has this. It’s like when people say mean things to me, which is online, that’s their thing. And I get it. And it’s the thing that probably all of us [celebrity kids] can feel bad about. But then what we do to get over that is work like crazy. Work beyond to where like we’re working ourselves too much.”

Jenna Bush Hager and George W. Bush.

Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Bush Hager went on to say that Maria Shriver came to her at one point and warned her to take a step back and focus on a work-life balance. Now that she’s “proven” herself, Bush Hager tries to have a better outlook on it all.

“I feel lucky to be here, and I also feel like I’ve needed to prove it,” she stated.

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Bush Hager said she’s worked hard throughout her life and instills that drive in her three children, including 13-year-old Mila, who had a summer job.

“I always worked, and I think I hope I’m not imparting any sort of, you know, transference of that and overdoing it,” she admitted to Jones.

The nepo baby discussion has been a big one in the entertainment industry as multiple celebrity kids have been popping up on screens, left and right. Recently, Mark Ruffalo’s son, *Sterling Point* star Keen Ruffalo, and Cindy Crawford’s daughter, *The Shards* actress Kaia Gerber, have both spoken about their careers despite slight advantages.

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“It just takes a long time. There’s a lot of auditions before you hear back, and it’s keeping up with that,” Keen Ruffalo told *Entertainment Tonight*. “It’s a hard thing to do.”

Meanwhile, Gerber told *Vogue*, “I’ve only ever been a nepo baby, and I’ve only ever benefited in my career from it. But I also find myself doing it to other nepo babies, thinking, like, ‘Okay, show me why you deserve this job.’”

Watch Bush Hager talk about nepotism in the video above.

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