JENNA BUSH HAGER ANNOUNCES NEW JOB. SEE 'TODAY' HOST'S GIG FOR NBC.
Jenna Bush Hager, “Today” show host and daughter of former President George W. Bush, is set to invade the world of scripted TV.
According to NBC, the network greenlit a pilot for the new drama “Protection” from “Quantico” creator Josh Safran and Bush Hager. During an episode of “Today” on Jan. 14, Bush Hager confirmed her involvement with the show.
“Who knew I would ever do something like this, ladies and gentlemen?” she said. “We have been working on this for a while, but we are working on a show called 'Protection' along with Josh Safran and my colleague Ben Spector.”
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“Protection” is about a U.S. Marshal who “falls in the line of duty" and "a seemingly cut-and-dry case turns into a deadly conspiracy as a family of law enforcement agents becomes the target of a mysterious assassin," according to the outlet’s description of the show.
What is Bush Hager's role on 'Today'?
The 44-year-old mother of three has been part of “Today” since 2009, when she joined as a correspondent and won a Daytime Emmy. Now, she hosts the new show “Today with Jenna & Sheinelle,” which covers the fourth hour of “Today.”
For nearly a year, she hosted the fourth hour by herself, as NBC was looking for a permanent replacement for Hoda Kotb after her retirement in January 2025. In December 2025, Sheinelle Jones was named as Bush Hager’s co-host for the fourth hour.
Who is Jenna Bush Hager?
Bush Hager is a news personality, bestselling author and journalist who was born on the same day as her fraternal twin sister, Barbara Pierce Bush, on Nov. 25, 1981.
In 2008, she married Henry Hager, according to her bio on the George W. Bush Presidential Center's website. Then, on April 13, 2013, she gave birth to daughter Margaret Laura “Mila” Hager. Her second daughter, Poppy Louise Hager, was born on Aug. 13, 2015. The couple welcomed a son, Henry Harold “Hal” Hager, on Aug. 2, 2019.
Also in 2019, Bush Hager founded the "Today" show's popular "Read With Jenna" book club, with many of her selections becoming The New York Times bestsellers, according to her bio.
Hager also created her own production company, Thousand Voices, in 2022. "At Thousand Voices, we believe that by sharing our diverse perspectives, we create space for meaningful conversations that build bridges of understanding, open our minds, and enrich us all," the production company's website says. "We’re here for the laughs, tears, growing pains, and light bulb moments!"
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jenna Bush Hager announces new job. See 'Today' host's gig for NBC.
2026-01-15T22:00:26Z