Jenna Bush Hager is expanding her monthly Read With Jenna book club into a podcast! The TODAY With Hoda and Jenna star announced Thursday that she’ll be launching a weekly podcast featuring interviews with some of her favorite authors starting on Sept. 21. Kicking off the podcast with the help of authors Colleen Hoover and Javier Zamora, Hager’s first several episodes will also feature intimate conversations with her favorite authors, including Judy Blume, R.L. Stine, Amor Towles and more.
“I’m so excited about the Read With Jenna podcast. I love talking with authors – hearing about the inspirations for their books, their process, who they were as kids and who they are now,” Hager told TODAY. “I can’t wait to bring their stories to as many listeners as possible.” Hager’s podcast will serve as a supplement to her monthly Read With Jenna book club and is meant to be listened to by all book lovers, even those unfamiliar with the guest author’s work.
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“All of these conversations enrich the experience of reading. You don’t have to have read these books to listen to these conversations and feel inspired,” Hager explained. “And you’ll leave laughing, which I think is an important way to leave.” Episodes will air every week through the end of the year and will also include interviews with Jerry Seinfeld, Margaret Atwood and more.
“I’ve been inspired by all of these author stories, which are incredibly different,” the anchor shared. “We have Javier Zamora, who immigrated by himself at the age of 9 from El Salvador to the United States. We meet Jerry Seinfeld, who everybody knows, but it’s also fun to hear who he is behind the comedian, who he is as a father, who he is as a person.” While the topics and authors may be varied, Hager said they all have inspired her “to be better, to read more and to recommend more books.”
Below is the full Read With Jenna podcast guest lineup:
- Sept. 21: Colleen Hoover and Javier Zamora
- Sept. 28: Judy Blume
- Oct. 5: Ruth Simmons
- Oct. 12: Amor Towles
- Oct. 19: Margaret Atwood
- Oct. 26: Jerry Seinfeld
- Nov. 2: R.L. Stine
- Nov. 9: Kate DiCamillo
- Nov. 16: Helen Ellis
- Nov. 30: Steven Rowley and Byron Lane
- Dec. 7: Mo Willems
- Dec. 14: Tara Westover
- Dec. 21: Luke Russert
