The former FLOTUS wrote about witnessing a flirty moment between Laura and George W. in her new book, “View From the East Wing.”

Jenna Bush Hager reacts to Jill Biden addressing her parents Laura and George W. Bush’s romantic relationship in new book

The former FLOTUS wrote about witnessing a flirty moment between Laura and George W. in her new book, "View From the East Wing."

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and NME.

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June 2, 2026 5:33 p.m. ET

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Jenna Bush Hager; George W. and Laura Bush. Credit:

Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty; Eric Draper/WireImage

- Jenna Bush Hager is addressing a passage in Jill Biden's new memoir,* View From the East Wing*.

- In it, the former first lady details witnessing a cheeky moment between Hager's parents Laura and George W. Bush.

- The *Today* host compared the passage to "reading a romance" novel, adding, "That was a little spice in this book!"

Jenna Bush Hager is sharing her thoughts on Jill Biden detailing a flirtatious moment between her parents Laura and George W. Bush in her memoir, *View From the East Wing*.

Hager's cohost Sheinelle Jones opened Tuesday’s episode of *Today* by revealing she'd spent the weekend reading the former FLOTUS' new book — and that there was one passage in it that really caught her eye.

"She says, 'One time I was meeting with President Bush at the George W. Bush Library after speaking to military families there,'" Jones read. "She says Laura came in and said, '*Hey Bushy*,' then sauntered into the hallway for a cup of coffee as he smiled at her."

Jill Biden; George and Laura Bush.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty; Sam Hodde/Getty

"That sounds like you were reading a romance!" Hager exclaimed, to which Jones replied, "That is how it felt!"

Jones then turned her attention to her cohost, chiding her for not sharing her parents' unique nickname for each other. To which Hager simply asked, "Am I supposed to be like, 'So my mom and dad call each other Bushy?'"

"Yes!" Jones responded, before acknowledging that she didn't "know when that would come out" during their conversations, either.

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Instead, Jones asked Hager what it was like to have parents that were "kinda flirty" with each other.

"They call each other Bushy! My dad loves a nickname," Hager said. "Do you know that my dad called my husband — before he was even my boyfriend — 'Stretch' because he's tall? He called me 'Benny' and when they were little, they called each other 'darling,' which is like very Texas in the eighties, you know?"

Hager admitted she couldn't pinpoint exactly when her parents started calling each other 'Bushy,' but that they haven't stopped since.

Jones went on to express her appreciation for how "descriptive" Biden was when detailing the sweet little moment between the couple in her memoir.

"I was trying to picture your mom sauntering," she said, to which Hager replied, "Well, she's such a lady, that she probably does — more than I am — she probably is like, more feminine and saunter[ing]."

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Hager was also a fan of how Biden concluded the passage. "She said, 'You could tell they have a nice romantic relationship,'" she shared. "That was a little spice in this book!"

Laura and George W. Bush got married in 1977. The couple welcomed their twin daughters, Jenna and Barbara, in 1981.

Hager has spoken about her experience growing up amid her dad’s presidential campaign and his two terms as president. In October, she recalled slipping away from Secret Service agents to go see a college boyfriend once.

"I had my friends sneak me," Hager said. "I was in the back of the car and they snuck me past the Secret Service. I've never told this!"

Savannah Guthrie, who was cohosting the show with her at the time, asked, "So they thought you were home in bed reading the Bible or whatever and you were at the football player's house?"

"Yes, I was," Hager admitted. Guthrie, in response, requested a high five and cheered, "That's my girl!"

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Source: “EW Talk”