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Jenna Bush Hager has undergone a remarkable transformation, thanks to some significant lifestyle changes. Her new habits have resulted in noticeable weight loss, as evidenced by comparing her past and present photos. In a 2016 picture, Hager appeared with a fuller figure, while a 2025 photo shows her looking noticeably slimmer.
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While she looks stunning in both images, Hager has expressed feeling healthier following her lifestyle changes that contributed to her weight loss. “I have to be really aware of what I consume, and I realized in the past that I wasn’t doing that as well as I could,” she shared with Women’s Health in 2024. Instead of fixating on her weight, she emphasizes health, which is why she doesn’t own a scale. “I don’t want to be tied to a number on a machine that might make me feel bad,” she explained on “Today with Hoda & Jenna” in 2023.
Hager’s focus is on regular exercise, as she hits the gym from Monday through Thursday, she told Today. Her approach has kept her away from the trend of celebrities using Ozempic or other GLP-1 drugs. “Food is just so enjoyable! I haven’t tried it because I love eating, among other reasons,” she mentioned on “Today with Jenna & Friends” in 2025, as reported by People. It seems Hager has found what works best for her.
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Hager has faced challenges with body image throughout her life, often exacerbated by the comments of those close to her. She revealed that even her family contributed to her struggles with body shaming. Notably, her grandmother, Barbara Bush, made hurtful remarks during her teenage years. Hager recounted how a comment from the former first lady left a lasting impact.
In a candid conversation on “Today with Hoda & Jenna” in January 2023, she reflected: “My grandmother, who I deeply loved but had a sharp tongue, once said, ‘Oh, Jenna! Looking chubby.’” The comment haunted her, making her wish she could disappear. She later discovered that these critical behaviors were generational. Her grandmother confessed that her own mother made similar comments, favoring her sister as the beauty, while labeling her as the funny or smart one, she shared with co-host Hoda Kotb.
Jenna Bush Hager is no stranger to body shaming
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Jenna Bush Hager always struggled with body image. And those around her didn’t always help. In fact, loved ones sometimes made it all even more painful. It turns out that Hager is among the celebrities who have been body shamed by their family. In her case, it was her grandmother, Barbara Bush (seen above), who made hurtful comments when she was a teenager. Hager still remembers those words in vivid detail. She was sunbathing next to her twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, in a yellow bikini, when the former first lady walked outside.
Hager recalled on “Today with Hoda & Jenna” in January 2023: “My grandmother, who I adore but had kind of a biting personality, said something like, ‘Oh, Jenna! Looking chubby.’” The feeling of wanting to fall off the face of the earth stayed with her. Hager later understood how these behaviors have been passed down through generations when her grandmother told her that her own mother made similar comments to her. “Her mother always thought of her sister as the really beautiful one and would say it,” she told co-host Hoda Kotb. “Martha’s the pretty one. You’re the funny one. You’re the smart one.”
That made Hager appreciate her own mother, Laura Bush, for never focusing on body image, using her as inspiration for how to tackle said issues with her children, particularly her two daughters, Mila and Poppy. “She definitely would never self-hate in front of us. I want to make sure I’m modeling that type of love to my kids,” Hager said on her “Today with Hoda & Jenna” in June 2023.