Jenna Bush Hager recently revealed a memorable family prank in which she tricked her father, former President George W. Bush, into believing she had gotten a tattoo. The anecdote, shared during the May 21 episode of Jenna & Friends, highlighted the Bush family’s long-standing tradition of humor and mischief.
The prank, orchestrated with her twin sister Barbara Bush, involved a faux lower back tattoo. “Barbara drew a Texas longhorn in Sharpie right here,” Jenna said, gesturing to her back. “I showed my dad and pretended I got one.”
According to Jenna, the former president fell for the prank. “He believed me,” she said, recounting her father’s classic dad response: “‘OK, when you’re 80, you know what that’s going to look like.’”
A Family Tradition of Humor
The Bush family is no stranger to practical jokes and lighthearted antics. Jenna noted that her grandfather, former President George H.W. Bush, had a famously “corny” sense of humor—a trait that clearly passed down to her father.
George W. Bush has long embraced public satire, with Jenna previously noting in 2024 that her father “loved” being parodied on Saturday Night Live.
Next Generation of Jokesters
Jenna’s own children—Mila (12), Poppy (9), and Hal (5)—are continuing the family’s playful legacy. This year’s April Fool’s Day was particularly eventful, with several pranks aimed at their father, Henry Hager.
One prank involved Hal microwaving a bowl of beans and pretending to have had an accident, smearing the “poop” on his dad’s clothes. Henry was not fooled, but the gag certainly left a mark.
Meanwhile, Mila pulled off a classic bathroom prank, covering the toilet seat with plastic wrap. “Henry was tricked, but Mila may have paid the price,” Jenna said. “I had to call her in and say, ‘Now you need to clean up a 45-year-old man’s pee pee.’”
The hijinks didn’t stop there. Jenna told her children that their pet cat, Hollywood, was pregnant—another elaborate April Fool’s fabrication.
Everyday Pranks and a Possible Real Tattoo
The pranking tradition extends beyond holidays. Jenna recounted a moment from last year when Hal jokingly claimed to have been sent to the principal’s office on his first day of school.
“I go, ‘OK, so why did you go to the principal’s office?’” Jenna said. Hal’s response: “I squirted applesauce.” When Jenna threatened to verify with his teacher, Hal confessed, laughing: “‘JK, I had the best day ever!’”
Despite the fake tattoo incident, Jenna hasn’t ruled out getting real ink. During the May 21 episode, she and TODAY co-host Savannah Guthrie discussed Savannah’s tattoos—two small hearts drawn by her children and the phrase “all my love” in her late father’s handwriting.
When Savannah asked if Jenna would consider getting a tattoo with her, Jenna responded, “I think I would… I might — I would maybe. I didn’t say no.”
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