Jenna Bush Hager Admits That She Throws Away Her Kids’ Participation Trophies: “I’m Going To Start Being Better About This”

Jenna Bush Hager had a shocking confession to make on Wednesday’s (Oct. 25) broadcast of Today With Hoda & Jenna: she throws away all of her kids’ participation trophies.

Bush Hager guiltily fessed up when she and Hoda Kotb were discussing a recent social media post from Chris Pratt, who asked if it was normal that his wife still had all of the trophies she received during her childhood.

“This is a question about, how many things do you save?” Kotb said. “The trophies, the hardware, it’s a little tough to have all that. But it’s interesting to think your little 5-year-old hands were holding this and thought it was the most amazing thing.”

Bush Hager, who usually has something to say, was surprisingly tight-lipped as Kotb spoke, until she finally admitted, “I’m feeling tremendous guilt because my kids don’t have one trophy in the house.”

She continued, “And you know, because everybody gets a trophy, they’ve won at least six. Even though they’re completely average, they’ve won all these trophies, and I throw them all out.”

Her tirade made even Kotb laugh as she continued, “Their medals for gymnastics participation? Bye. I love them, but they don’t need a trophy to know they’re great.”

Kotb, on the other hand, appeared to keep at least some of her daughters’ trophies. “I remember that feeling of what it felt like to get something earned,” she told her co-host.

Bush Hager replied, “I feel guilty and I’m going to start being better about this. I need to get a box and keep one thing a month, that’s 12 things a year.”

She later admitted that her mother also “threw everything out” when she was growing up. “But she kept scrapbooks, so we have all these scrapbooks. And that’s what I do,” she told Kotb, before quickly adding, “Well, she does them for me.”

Bush Hager made a similarly interesting point during a previous episode of Today. Speaking to Kotb about the most important thing they strive for when raising their kids, she admitted that she doesn’t “really care” if her kids are “No. 1 in their class.”

“I don’t care that they’re number one in their class or go to good schools,” she said at the time. “I just want them to be the type of kids that are kind.”

Kotb was in total agreement, replying, “That is everything.”

Today with Jenna and Hoda airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.