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Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb started their Wednesday (Dec. 6) morning with a performance of their new Christmas single, “A Carefree Christmas,” in Rockefeller Plaza. But the Today co-hosts were eager to learn what Bush Hager’s father, former President of the United States George W. Bush, thought of their show.
When Kotb asked her co-host if she got “any feedback” about their performance this morning, Bush Hager said, “I received a couple of texts. ‘Hit the high notes like I taught you. Fine performance,’ from my dad. And my mother just chimed in, [and said] ‘Very cute.’”
Kotb replied, “Is that a ringing endorsement? I think we should get some clarification. It’s unclear if he liked it, he just said ‘like I taught you.’”
“Should we try to FaceTime my dad?” Bush Hager said as she picked up her cell phone to call her father. “He doesn’t usually like it when I put him on the spot like this, but what could go wrong?”
As the phone rang, she warned her co-host that “he may not answer” since “he could be on the elliptical, [or] he could be painting.”
Luckily, he did pick up the phone!
The former POTUS picked up Bush Hager’s call, though the viewers couldn’t see his face since it was an audio call. He appeared to be in good spirits as he greeted Kotb by calling her “Hody!”
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“Yes honey, I hear you,” Kotb replied. “By the way, did you see the performance?”
“I did, I was very impressed,” he responded.
When Bush Hager asked him what his favorite part was, Bush replied, “Listening to the African American woman sing,” referring to vocalist Cheryl Porter, who is also featured on the song.
He continued, “I thought ya’ll were cute. Your dance moves were well choreographed and I think the sound guy did a good job of making sure your voices were subdued.”
This sparked a laugh from the Today hosts. “Well, thank you dad, we appreciate it,” Bush Hager said. He went on to praise their “lively” performance and said he thought it would “become a bestseller.”
Bush Hager soon ended the call with a quick, “You’re on TV, I love you!”
After they hung up, Kotb expressed how touched she was that he used that nickname for her. “He called me Hody. You know who calls me Hody? All of the people who’ve known me my whole life,” she told Bush Hager. “That’s what my sister calls me, what my brother calls me, all of my high school friends, in college. That is so funny.”
Today with Jenna and Hoda airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.
