Jenna Bush Hager and George H. W. Bush.Photo: ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP via Getty Images
Jenna Bush Hagersays the Bush family is always down for a laugh. So much so that when she went to the movies to see the 2009 Sacha Baron Cohen filmBruno, she brought along an unlikely guest: former PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush, her grandfather.
Hager recounted the experience to co-host Willie Geist onTodayon Wednesday morning.
It was an story that resonated with Geist, who said that he saw another of Cohen’s provocative films —Borat— “sitting between my parents.”
“It was a beautiful day, we drove to Portland, Maine. My gentlemanly grandfather and I, sitting in the movie theater,” she said onToday.
As soon as it became clear that the film was full of nudity, sexually explicit jokes and a type of humor not typically associated with a president, the elder Bush had a question.
“The worst part is, like, right away he was like, ‘Do we leave? Do we have to leave?’ " Hager said, adding that she and the Secret Service agents had their hands covering their faces for the bulk of the film.
“This is the former president of the United States,” Giest told her.
“Former President!” Hager said. “With Secret Service in tow, watchingBruno. All of us were like … ‘Oh no.’ "
Jenna Bush Hager.Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
So why the controversial film choice in the first place?
“I recommended it!” Hager told Giest. “Because I didn’t know! I didn’t know!”
Despite early reservations, the group did stay in the theater for the entirety of the film.
“We didn’t walk out. We didn’t walk out until the end and then the end it was like …” Hager trailed off, covering her face once more.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
She has spoken fondly of her “gampy” in the years since his death on Nov. 30, 2018.
For her 2020 book,Everything Beautiful in Its Time, Bush she wrote a collection of essays in which she remembered some of the most precious moments she has had with her own parents, former President George W. Bush and former First LadyLaura Bush, and her grandparents the elder President Bush and his late wife, former First LadyBarbara Bush.
In an essay shared onToday’s website in June of last year, Hager recalled her grandpa’s zest for life, writing that he once told her, “Jenna, don’t be scared to be in the ring, and don’t forget to enjoy every moment — to live every moment. I miss being an active part of the game.”
source: people.com
