The One Thing Fans Beg Jenna Bush Hager To Stop Doing On The Today Show

Jenna Bush Hager is a TV veteran at this point. Before she made her stunning transformation to becoming a "Today" co-host in 2019, she spent a decade as a correspondent on the show. She's so comfortable in front of the camera that it sometimes gets her into hot water, like when she casually dropped a swear word while chatting with her co-host Willie Geist in July 2025. In that case, Bush Hager's mistake came from a misunderstanding of the FCC rules. However, when interacting with her co-hosts, Bush Hager also has a habit of forgetting one of the more basic rules of conversation: turn taking.

In the heat of the moment, she tends to be a frequent offender when it comes to waiting to speak. "She constantly interrupts guests and over talks people like she can't control herself it's so annoying," vented one redditor.

Fortunately, Bush Hager's indicated that she's aware of this problematic behavior. In a 2022 "Today" episode, she and her former co-host, Hoda Kotb, were presented with the issue of people interrupting each other during a show segment. Kotb started laughing, and Bush Hager came to the uncomfortable realization that Kotb was reacting that way because of her own tendency to interrupt. Amid their mutual giggles, Kotb generously stated, "We both interrupt each other because I think we're overly excited about what we're talking about." Ironically, Kotb only got through the first half of her sentence before Bush Hager started talking over her, saying, "We try not to."

After Jenna Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb's discussion about the former's rude conversational habit was posted on Instagram, a bunch of commenters chimed in about Bush Hager's disruptive behavior. "Producers need to help Jenna develop some listening skills," suggested one. "It sometimes sounds like a shouting match with Jenna talking over the guest and the guest trying to be heard."

Another poster wondered if her family's fame influenced Bush Hager's habit. "I could see how her voice was drowned out by mother, father & twin during her youth," they hypothesized. However, Bush Hager had a controversial past before "Today," and her boisterous behavior began in childhood. "Jenna put two jalapeños up her nose to make me laugh, only to burn the insides of her nostrils," Barbara Bush, Bush Hager's twin sister, wrote in Vanity Fair. Although the Bush twins live very different lives, Barbara was also a participant during some of these childish antics.

Unfortunately, while awareness of the issue is only half the battle. Since that 2022 episode, Bush Hager doesn't appear to have made much progress curbing her interjecting ways. During a June 2023 episode of "Today," viewers once again called Bush Hager out for jumping in while Kelly Clarkson was speaking. This habit seems to be a common foible among talk show hosts, and people has accused Clarkson of interrupting her guests, too. However, sometimes host interruptions can also be necessary, particularly since broadcast shows like "Today" have precise timing and stipulated commercial breaks.