July 30, 2025
Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of ex-president George W. Bush, went to Gracie Abrams' concert with her family. But during the show, she realised what made her emotional.
It was, she shared, the realisation of how quickly her three children are reaching an age where they will leave to face the world on their own.
On her show, Today With Jenna & Friends, Jenna told Tyra Banks, who was a guest host, that "We were out on the town," adding the concert was "so much fun," but added she's "going through something" with her family.
She recalled her thoughts at the time, “Obviously, my oldest is going into middle school. For whatever reason, we sat down, and — think about how embarrassing this is as a child."
"And just seeing how excited they were for her, I started crying. I was like, this is so beautiful, to see this concert through their eyes!"
The NBC personality continued, "This could be the last time my seventh-grader is cool with sitting next to her mom at a concert. In a few years, she's going to be going with all of her buddies."
Her co-host chimed in, "And not mommy.” Jenna, whose eyes became moist, in response, said, “I just was thinking, like, time is going so fast, and she'll sit next to me and hold my hand a little. [My husband was] like, 'Don't cry, she's humiliated!'"
At the end, Tyra reassured Jenna, "Those are the moments. Experiences are so important, because you're going to relive that over and over and over."
Today with Jenna & Friends is broadcast weekdays on NBC.