‘TODAY’ Favorite Fights Back Tears After Surprise Message From Mother

Jenna Bush Hager fought back tears after her mother, former first lady Laura Bush, surprised her with a touching message on the Today show. During the Friday, March 1 broadcast, the cast and crew of the NBC morning show helped Hager mark a special milestone: the fifth anniversary of Read with Jenna. The celebrations proved to be emotional, though, when Hager’s co-hosts Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin, Carson Daly, and Al Roker surprised her with a heartwarming video message from her mother celebrating her daughter’s success.

The milestone celebrations took place in the Today Plaza, where Hager’s book club authors packed up 50 boxes of more than 60 Read with Jenna picks to send to libraries in all 50 U.S. states. The assembly line was in the shape of a “5” in honor of five years of the Read with Jenna book club. As the assembly line got to work, Kotb turned to Hager and said, “Jenna, we’re so proud of what you’ve accomplished.” She then asked, “You know who else is proud of you?” as she encouraged her co-host to “take a look” at a video message sent in by her mother.

“As we celebrate Read Across America Day, I congratulate you on five years of the Read with Jenna book club. I’m thrilled you’re packing up each of your Read with Jenna selections and sending the books to a library in all 50 states,” the former first lady said. “By sharing your favorite books you’re inspiring more Americans to fall in love with reading. So here’s to another five years of happy reading for you and all the TODAY show viewers. Love you!”

Throughout the message, Hager was visibly emotional and appeared to be holding back tears. As her mother’s message concluded, she told her co-hosts, “She looks amazing,” adding to Daly that her mother is an example of “what reading does for your skin.” Daly quipped that he had to run and pick up all five of Jenna’s favorite books.

Bush was not the only person to applaud Hager and her efforts with Read with Jenna. Melvin told Hager that she’s “helped get America reading again,” with Kotb adding, “Can we just give an ‘atta girl’ to Jenna Bush Hager for a minute, too? Because this is something she started five years ago.” Kotb said Hager “brought it up, you wandered through, you said ‘I think people should read more.’ And it has turned into a juggernaut. When I see a Read with Jenna sticker, I want it. The countless number of New York Times bestsellers, the movies, the television shows, like all the cool things that Jenna has been able to do, it’s been amazing.”

Opening up about the milestone with Today.com, Hager said, “I love reading for so many reasons; it really is sort of my escape from everyday life. It’s how I calm down. It’s how I detach. It’s how I fall in love with other places that I will never go to. It’s how I empathize with characters who are nothing like me. There’s nothing like falling in love with a book.”