Today’s host Jenna Bush Hager is dealing with a new parenting problem at home, and it has nothing to do with screen time or homework. During a recent episode of her morning show, the journalist shared that her children have started calling her by a nickname she finds both funny and slightly insulting. The story quickly caught her co-host off guard.
Jenna Bush Hager shares what her kids call her
Bush Hager revealed on the May 13 episode of Today with Jenna & Sheinelle that her three children — Mila, Poppy, and Hal — recently stopped calling her “Mom” and switched to “Biggie.” She admitted she is not a fan of the name and immediately reacted with, “Excuse me?!” after hearing it at home. According to Hager, the nickname started casually but has now become a regular thing in the house (via People).
The television host explained that even her husband, Henry Hager, has been pulled into the joke. Bush Hager said she warned her oldest daughter, Mila, to stop using it before her youngest child starts repeating it publicly. She joked that Hal could end up calling a teacher “Biggie” at school one day. Her co-host, Sheinelle Jones, looked stunned by the story and admitted, “That hurts my feelings.”
Things became even more awkward after Bush Hager explained where the nickname actually came from. She said it evolved from the phrase “Big Back,” which her daughter shortened into “Biggie.” At first, she thought the wordplay was creative and funny. But later, she worried the nickname could spread beyond their house if the kids kept using it around others. Jones responded by saying the backstory somehow made it “even worse.”
This is not the first time Bush Hager has shared honest parenting moments on air. Last month, she revealed that Mila critiqued her speech before introducing Queen Camilla at the New York Public Library. Hager said her daughter told her she talked too much about herself and even commented that her hair “needed some work.” Still, the criticism ended on a sweet note when Mila later texted her mom, “Proud of Y.”
