During a lively episode of TODAY with Jenna and Friends that aired on May 21, Jenna Bush Hager opened up about one of the most memorable pranks she ever played on her father — former U.S. President George W. Bush. And yes, it involved what appeared to be a tattoo on her lower back.
The topic came up as Jenna and her co-host, Savannah Guthrie, were discussing tattoos — who has them, who wants them, and whether Jenna herself might one day get inked. Jenna, ever the diplomat, answered with a noncommittal “maybe” when pressed, but then revealed she once pretended to get a tattoo to shock her famously straight-laced father.
“I once did play a prank on my dad where Barbara drew a tattoo of a Texas Longhorn in Sharpie right here,” Hager said, gesturing toward her lower back with a mischievous smile. “I showed my dad and pretended I got one, and he believed me.”
The prank was perfectly orchestrated. Jenna and her identical twin sister, Barbara, were both students at the University of Texas at Austin, so the fake tattoo — a tribute to their school mascot — was just believable enough to be plausible, and just edgy enough to horrify their conservative Texan dad.
But rather than explode with disapproval, the 43rd President of the United States kept his composure. Jenna recounted his calm — and slightly savage — dad-style response:
“‘OK,’ he said, ‘when you’re 80, you know what that’s gonna look like.’”
Classic dad move — part acceptance, part warning, and all dry humor.
Savannah Guthrie’s Sentimental Tattoos
The conversation then turned to co-host Savannah Guthrie, who does have tattoos — two, in fact — and both of them come with deeply personal meanings. Guthrie revealed that her first tattoo was inked in 2023 during a session with none other than Drew Barrymore.
The phrase: “All my love”, written in her late father’s handwriting. The placement: her forearm, where she can see it every day.
“He wrote a love letter to my mom, and this is his writing,” Guthrie explained. “So that’s the first time in my life, I’m 51 years old, that I’ve had a tattoo, that I ever wanted a tattoo. And it’s not only his writing, so he’s with me, but I’m trying to make it my mantra for life.”
Guthrie also has a second forearm tattoo — a small drawing of two hearts, symbolizing love and connection. Together, the tattoos are as delicate and meaningful as they are visually understated.
Jenna, ever the supportive friend, complimented the subtlety of Guthrie’s ink:
“Yeah, but yours are delicate and gorgeous,” she said, gently nudging the conversation back from the joke they’d started on to the deeper emotional underpinnings of the subject.
From Pranks to Personal Meaning
What began as a light-hearted conversation about fake tattoos turned into a surprisingly heartfelt segment about memory, love, and how we carry those we care about — sometimes quite literally — on our skin. For Jenna Bush Hager, the story was a funny nod to her mischievous youth. For Savannah Guthrie, tattoos became tangible links to her past and enduring reminders of her values.
And for George W. Bush? Let’s just say that after raising twin girls, even he couldn’t be rattled by a Sharpie surprise.
Related topics: