Jenna Bush Hager jokingly shared a rather scandalous regret about her time in the White House, quipping that she wishes she had hooked up with her Secret Service detail. The daughter of George W. Bush made the playful confession on The Kelly Clarkson Show, while promoting her upcoming television series.
Bush Hager told host Kelly Clarkson about her new venture, a show called Protection that’s set to air on NBC. “It’s based off of protective units, but some of my experience with Secret Service, who, now that I’m a full-grown adult, realize they sacrificed a lot to hang out with my family and me,” she said. Per US Magazine, Bush Hager sees the show as a tribute to them, describing it as a “mystery and it’s fun.”
The conversation took a humorous turn when Bush Hager blurted out, “I never hooked up with my Secret Service man!” She followed up with an even funnier, “I shoulda done it!” Clarkson, clearly amused, suggested that this could be the premise for Bush Hager’s next book. Bush Hager playfully mused about the title, “I Never Hooked Up With My Secret Service Man and Other Regrets,” before quickly adding, “Just kidding!”
I think we just found the inspiration for the movie First Daughter
As the daughter of the 43rd president of the United States, Jenna Bush Hager, along with her fraternal twin sister Barbara Pierce Bush, spent their formative years in the White House. Since then, she has shared some wild anecdotes about the Secret Service and the White House. According to her, the White House is definitely haunted.
Back in November 2022, she told Us Weekly that “My sister and I heard a ghost playing classical piano, but she seemed friendly,” She expanded on these spooky tales in a March 2025 interview, detailing one particular night from her college years. “Barbara didn’t believe me the first time,” she recalled. “I was sleeping in my room — this was in college — and I woke up and heard opera coming out of the fireplace. And I could feel it! I honestly had chills.”
Bush Hager immediately tried to wake her sister. Two days later, Barbara herself experienced something similar. “Two days later I was sleeping in her room. We were dozing off, and then we heard olden times jazz music coming out of the fireplace again,”
Barbara added. “We were so scared. We wanted to get in bed with our parents, but we were 22 and it felt inappropriate. And so then we calmed ourselves down and we thought, ‘Well, surely that was the cat. Willard [the cat] was playing the olden jazz music on the piano.'”
Bush Hager has always been candid, even sharing stories of her daughter in the past. She has also been embroiled in a minor controversy over her job at the Today show. All in all, her sense of humor about her life has led to some fun stories.
Published: Mar 13, 2026 10:59 am