The Surprise Call: Jenna Bush Hager's Emotional Conversation with Her Dad

Jenna Bush Hager's heart was heavy when she made the call to her dad, former President George W. Bush. The "Today" show co-anchor was struggling to come to terms with the news that her co-host, Hoda Kotb, would be leaving the show. As she sat down with Kotb on the show, she began to tear up, and her dad's words of wisdom came flooding back. "It's your turn," Bush Hager recalled her dad saying. "You're going to be fine. It's okay." Kotb, who was also crying, nodded in agreement, praising Bush Hager's growth and maturity. Bush Hager had already been feeling emotional when she first heard the news, thinking something terrible had happened. "I said, 'No! You can't leave, because what we have here, with all of these people, it is magical and powerful and it feels like that here, and you're who I come to when I'm feeling joyful, when I'm feeling unsure, you're who I come to, and you believed in me first,'" she said, her voice trembling.

Kotb too was feeling the pain of leaving, but knowing it was time for her to step back and focus on her personal life. "I've been thinking about this for a while," she said, wiping away tears. "I've been back and forth and back and forth, and then I thought to myself, 'You know, I think this decade I think I'm going to have to start choosing me.'" The two women, who have been a beloved duo on "Today With Hoda and Jenna," expressed their gratitude for the experience they shared and the memories they made together. Kotb, who will be leaving at the end of the year, will continue to work in some capacity, while Bush Hager takes over as the sole host of the show.

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