Jenna Bush Hager admits life in the White House didn’t shield her from a painful struggle
Jenna Bush Hager admits life in the White House didn’t shield her from a painful struggle
Jenna Bush Hager, cohost of Today with Jenna & Friends and daughter of former U.S. President George W. Bush, recently shared a heartfelt—and hilarious—story about her childhood that revealed a more personal side to her famous family. During a candid conversation on the Today show, Jenna opened up about the emotional challenges she faced as a student and how they occasionally led to big fights with her dad at the kitchen table.
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“There was a period of time when I made bad grades,” the 43-year-old said, reflecting on her school years. While Jenna is now known for her confidence and humor on television, she admitted that academics weren’t always her strong suit—especially math. Her father, George W. Bush, tried to step in as a tutor, but his efforts didn’t always go as planned. “My dad would sit with me at that kitchen table and try to teach me math,” she said. “And we’d get in big fights, and I’d cry myself to sleep.”
The Today host laughed as she told the story, recalling how emotional those evenings could get. “He was just trying to help, but I think we both ended up frustrated,” she said. Despite those tense study sessions, Jenna noted that her father’s dedication taught her the importance of perseverance and patience—even if it took years to appreciate it.
Her cohost, Sheinelle Jones, chimed in to ask how her parents handled her academic struggles, leading Jenna to share more about her upbringing in the Bush household. The daughter of a president and a former first lady, she and her twin sister Barbara were raised in a disciplined yet loving environment. “My parents didn’t always know how to handle me,” Jenna joked. “If I have a little Jenna, I don’t even know how I’d parent that.”
Despite her struggles with schoolwork, Jenna went on to find her own path. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and later became a teacher at a charter school before transitioning into journalism and television. Those early lessons in persistence, she said, helped shape her into the mother, teacher, and broadcaster she is today.
Jenna’s humorous honesty about her youth has become one of her trademarks on Today, where she often shares both the glamorous and the messy parts of life. She has been open about her teenage rebellion, the pressures of being a first daughter, and even pulling pranks on her parents—like the time she told her mom she was pregnant as an April Fools’ joke while her dad was serving as president.
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Looking back, Jenna’s confessions offer a rare glimpse into the humanity of a family often seen only through the lens of politics. Her stories remind viewers that even presidents lose their patience helping with math homework—and that even future television stars sometimes cry themselves to sleep over algebra.
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Now a mother of three—Mila, 12, Poppy, 10, and Hal, 6—Jenna says she can laugh about those days. But she admits, with a grin, “I just hope my daughters don’t give me as hard a time as I gave my parents.”
Lisa Kennedy recently married Fred in Hawaii: Who is the Fox News star’s new husband?
Lisa Kennedy recently married Fred in Hawaii: Who is the Fox News star’s new husband?
Fox News personality Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery has entered a new chapter in her personal life after marrying Fred in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in Hawaii.
Kennedy shared photographs from the celebration at the Four Seasons Resort Lanai, giving followers a glimpse of the man she now calls her husband and the friends who joined them for the occasion.
“Married the love of my life at the Four Seasons Lanai in a Heidi Merrick dress drenched in sunshine and aloha,” Kennedy wrote. “I love you forever, Fred!!”
While Kennedy has been open about how much Fred means to her, she has kept many details about her new husband firmly outside the public spotlight.
Kennedy and Fred celebrate their marriage in Hawaii
The couple exchanged vows during an outdoor ceremony overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Kennedy wore a sparkling white Heidi Merrick gown with a fitted silhouette, completing her bridal look with a veil and colorful tropical bouquet. Fred wore a light-blue suit with a white shirt, light-colored tie and brown shoes. The newlyweds also wore traditional Hawaiian leis.
Photographs showed Kennedy and Fred walking hand in hand as guests applauded, with the bride raising her bouquet in celebration. Another captured them cutting their multi-tiered wedding cake against a backdrop of palm trees, ocean views and the evening sky.
The wedding announcement became a major moment among Kennedy’s followers, receiving more than 154,000 likes and nearly 2,000 comments.
Several familiar Fox News personalities were also part of the celebration. Emily Compagno, Abby Hornacek and Alexis McAdams were among the recognizable guests photographed in Hawaii.
Emily later wrote that they had the “best time celebrating Kennedy and Fred’s marriage,” adding, “The Fox family showed up for our favorite girl.”
Who is Kennedy’s husband, Fred?
Despite the attention surrounding their wedding, Fred remains largely a private figure.
Based on what Kennedy has publicly shared, his surname, profession and detailed background have not been revealed. Even when announcing her marriage, Kennedy continued referring to her husband simply as Fred.
What she has shared, however, offers some insight into how unexpectedly their relationship entered her life.
Lisa Kennedy and her new husband Fred / Youtube
Kennedy discussed Fred publicly when announcing their engagement on The Five in December 2025. She revealed that he had proposed on December 10 and said the two had met recently and “unexpectedly.”
During the emotional on-air conversation, Kennedy described the impact their meeting had on her life.
“He is the most beautiful, wonderful human being,” she said. “And I had totally given up until those elevator doors opened and I met him out of the blue — he changed my life.”
Kennedy has not provided additional details about exactly where that first meeting occurred or the circumstances surrounding it.
Their relationship began before the public announcement
Although viewers did not learn about the engagement until December 2025, Kennedy revealed another detail suggesting Fred had quietly been part of her life for some time.
She told her The Five colleagues that she had secretly brought him to the Fox Christmas party the previous year.
“I snuck him in. Don’t tell security,” Kennedy joked during the conversation.
That revelation indicated the couple had already been seeing each other by at least December 2024, even though Kennedy had kept the relationship away from public attention.
Dana Perino was among those particularly moved by the engagement news.
Perino recalled learning about it while Kennedy was appearing on America’s Newsroom, telling her colleague that the announcement had made her cry.
“And Fred is such a wonderful guy,” Perino said before telling Kennedy, “I cried because I’m so happy for you.”
From a private romance to a Hawaiian wedding
Kennedy continued keeping Fred’s personal details private even as she became more open about their relationship.
That approach remained evident at their wedding. While she shared numerous photographs of their special day and publicly expressed her love for her new husband, she did not use the occasion to reveal his surname, career or other biographical information.
Instead, Kennedy kept the attention on their marriage and the happiness surrounding it.
The couple received congratulations from numerous familiar names, including Kat Timpf, Janice Dean, Sandra Smith, Griff Jenkins, Abby Hornacek and Meghan McCain.
For followers who had watched Kennedy announce her engagement months earlier, the Hawaiian ceremony provided the next chapter in a relationship that had largely developed outside the public eye.
What is publicly known about Fred remains limited, but Kennedy has made one thing unmistakably clear: she considers him the man who unexpectedly entered her life, changed it and ultimately became her husband.
From secretly attending a Fox Christmas party together to an emotional engagement announcement and finally exchanging vows beside the Pacific Ocean, Kennedy and Fred have now made their commitment official — while continuing to keep much of their story between themselves.
