NBC's The Today Show has been quite eventful as the 2025 TV schedule has pushed on. For instance, earlier this year, longtime panelist Hoda Kotb co-hosted her final show. Now, Jenna Bush Hager is claiming that Al Roker made out with her grandmother years ago. Naturally, Roker was taken aback after the statement was made on live TV, until Bush Hager corrected herself.
The flub occurred during the Tuesday, June 10 edition of Today, after coverage of Roker's viral excursion to Epic Universe and during Bush Hager's daily Morning Boost segment. The featured boost highlighted the news anchor’s paternal grandma, former first lady Barbara Bush, receiving a commemorative stamp in her honor. That’s when JBH asked her peer if he remembered making out with her grandmother. But, quickly, after looking at her co-anchor’s face, she realized that it was actually weatherman Willard Scott, who smooched her grandma. When responding (via People), Roker said:
It was awkward on so many levels, so many levels. I’m thinking, did I make out with her grandmother?
What a surprising exchange! Given Bush Hager previously talked about the late Willard Scott receiving a quick kiss on the lips from the former first lady during a 1989 inaugural parade, watching this error unravel is wild. Thankfully, Bush Hager immediately set the record straight. It's been said that anything can happen on live TV, and that's certainly one
Of course, if there's anything to know about Al Roker, it's that he's one of the wittiest personalities on TV. So it shouldn't be all that surprising that he was able to bounce back from the awkward moment with a cheeky thought on not having smooched Barbara Bush:
Not that I wouldn’t have!
Today remains an entertaining and exciting show to tune into for all sorts of surprises. Who could’ve guessed Bush Hager would’ve geared the conversation toward that kiss? What I love even more, though, is that the wrongly accused Roker shared that aforementioned quip! Kudos to him for also being such a good sport about the mistake.
Roker, who became a grandpa in 2023, is definitely a pro when it comes to handling unexpected moments on air. He’s just shy of marking three decades with the long-running NBC morning show, and I'd imagine that he's surely had to stay on his toes on more than a few occasions over the course of his illustrious broadcasting career.
Meanwhile, Jenna Bush Hager continues to carve out her place on the program in the aftermath of Hoda Kotb's departure (but she’s in no rush to replace the beloved ex-co-host). Bush Hager has found great success in her new spot, Jenna & Friends, which pairs her with a plethora of celebrity guest hosts. All the while, Kotb has been studying the newcomers and has some A+ permanent host ideas. (I particularly love Kotb’s desire for actor and podcaster Matt Rogers to take her post permanently.)
Right now, though, I'm not sure I'm going to forget this make-out misunderstanding anytime soon. I hope that, in time, Al Roker and Jenna Bush Hager can find as much humor in it as I do.
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