Bush Hager opened up about her dad’s milestone birthday plans on live TV, saying her twin sister Barbara planned a big day
Credit: Michael Reaves/R&A/R&A via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- George W. Bush is celebrating his 80th birthday with a spin class and family dinner in Maine, according to his daughter Jenna Bush Hager
- Bush Hager shared a tribute to her dad on social media with throwback photos in addition to acknowledging him live on the air during Today with Jenna & Sheinelle
- The former president is an avid mountain biker and has supported veterans through events like the Warrior 100K Ride
George W. Bush is reportedly planning an active 80th birthday.
The former president will be spending his milestone birthday with his daughter Barbara Bush Pierce and other family and friends, his other daughter, Jenna Bush Hager, shared on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle on Monday, July 6.
“Before we say anything else, can I just say happy 80th birthday to my dad?” Bush Hager, 44, asked during the live broadcast, before adding, “It’s his 80th birthday, and I texted him at the crack of dawn.”
When her co-host, Sheinelle Jones, asked about the former president’s birthday plans, Bush Hager shared some insider info.
“Barb… my sister is with him. I wish I was there,” she said. “She’s putting on a spin class at his favorite little place that he goes to — this local spot in Maine. So all of his family and friends and then they’re gonna have a family dinner.”
Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
While a spin class might seem unexpected, Bush Hager reminded viewers that her dad is a mountain biker.
“He’ll have fun. And I can’t believe it — 80 years old,” she said before dropping her dad’s nickname. “That’s wild. Happy birthday, Jefe, we love you!”
The mother of three also shared why she didn’t call him live on the fourth hour of Today, admitting that it was once an option.
“They were like, ‘We should call him!’ ” she said of her talk show’s producers. “And I was like, ‘He probably doesn’t want to be on TV on his 80th birthday. He wants to be left alone.’ And who are we as his children to make him do stuff?”
On social media, Bush Hager shared a tribute to her dad, posting photos of him with his grandkids, Mila and Poppy Hager.
“Happy 80th to this Jefe! Love you,” she wrote along with some throwback photos. “Thanks for teaching me to love baseball and my kids too.”
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President Bush’s appreciation for biking has been public knowledge for years. In 2021, he participated in a short film to promote The Bush Institute’s Warrior 100K Ride to help support U.S. veterans.
“Any day you ride with the vets is a good day,” the former commander in chief said in the clip. “Many have come back and are doing fine, some need help. And to the extent that I can help them transition from military to civilian life, I wanna be a part of the solution.”
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