‘Today’: Jenna Bush Hager Reveals She Was “Disinvited” From Prom After She Kissed Another Guy

By Radhamely De Leon
Published June 11, 2024, 12:12 p.m. ET

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Jenna Bush Hager dished on a rather “juicy” story from her youth that shocked even Hoda Kotb during Tuesday’s broadcast of Today With Hoda & Jenna.

The co-hosts were discussing whether they’ve ever been “ghosted” when Bush Hager revealed she was once “disinvited” from prom in high school.

“Now you sound like a ‘victim’ here, poor Jenna was ‘disinvited,'” Kotb joked. “I’m with you, I don’t like to be invited somewhere and then disinvited, but will you please tell me why your prom date decided he didn’t want to go to prom with you anymore?”

Bush Hager replied, “Well, I kissed somebody else.” Her confession even elicited a gasp from the Today stage crew, prompting her to clarify, “But now, before everybody gets their panties in a roar, panties in a bunch, whatever the analogy is … here’s the thing, I wasn’t dating him. We were going as friends to the prom, therefore, I can’t be controlled.”

As Kotb began to ask more questions, Bush Hager then laughed and asked, “Why are you acting like Judge Judy?” But the further questioning proved to be generative, as Bush Hager soon revealed that she had been dating the guy before they decided to just be friends.

“Okay, the reveal. This is like peeling an onion,” Kotb said. “Did you think you were going as friends?”

Hoda Kotb Jenna Bush Hager
Photo: NBC

Bush Hager replied, “Yes, I did. We were friends, we were together, we had broken up for a period of time. It was his senior prom, I was a sophomore.”

This detail shocked Kotb, who exclaimed, “Oh, you were young! Wait, this is getting juicier.”

“Now let’s not make this a character assassination. The age difference is OK. I feel like I’m on trial,” Bush Hager replied. “Anyway, I was disinvited. Now, I will go ahead and for the record state I already purchased a dress with my mother in tow.”

She revealed that she later ended up going to her senior prom with the boy she kissed, anyway. “So it all ended up fine,” she said.

The happy ending was met with “a weak smattering of applause,” as Kotb put it.

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