The ‘Today’ host is reflecting on her dad’s unlikely friendship with the former first lady

Jenna Bush Hager Talks to Michelle Obama About Her Friendship With George W. Bush on Today

First lady Michelle Obama whispers to former President George W. Bush at a 2015 event.Credit : SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty

Michelle Obama and George W. Bush’s friendship may seem unexpected to some, but not to those who know them best.

On Today With Jenna & Friends on Wednesday, May 14, Jenna Bush Hager reflected on Obama’s recent appearance on Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang. After noting that the former first lady is comfortable poking fun at herself, Bush Hager said her father is the same.

“We love to tease my dad. And he likes it, usually, if he’s in a good mood,” she shared. “But also, I just realized why my dad and Mrs. Obama are friends! They have the same love language.”

Bush Hager said that the love language of laughter is something that spans generations in her family.

“My mom laughs hysterically at my dad,” she said of former first lady Laura Bush. “My dad mainly makes fun of himself. He’s self-deprecating, but my mom thinks he’s the funniest person in the entire world.”

Michelle Obama and George W. Bush Have the Same Love Language, Jenna Bush Hager Says
JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty

As for her own home life with husband Henry Chase Hager and their three children, Bush Hager added, “Humor is the love language in [our] house, too.”

Self-deprecating humor is certainly one thing that can bring Mrs. Obama and former President Bush together, though their friendship is already plenty strong.

The odd couple make headlines nearly every time they’re photographed together at a public event. Whether sharing a laugh or an embrace, their bond is notable given their political differences.

They shared a warm hug at the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in September 2016 and Bush even surreptitiously passed Obama a mint during the funeral service for his father, former President George H.W. Bush, in December 2018.

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“He has the presence of mind and the sense of humor to bring me a mint,” Obama said following the service, according to ABC7. “And he made it a point to give me that mint right then and there, and that’s the beauty of George Bush.”