Jenna Bush Hager went on an impassioned rant about the divisive language used to shame mothers, saying her husband is never asked about ‘dad guilt’ or ‘balance.’
The Today host, 40, took a stand for mothers everywhere on Tuesday’s show after recounting how she ‘raced downtown’ earlier that morning to watch her daughters Mila, nine, and Poppy, six, perform in their school recital.
‘Poppy came up to me right afterward and gave me a big hug and goes, “You made it,”‘ Bush Hager told her co-host Hoda Kotb. ‘It kind of broke my heart and simultaneously filled it, so I’m all good.’
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Jenna Bush Hager, 40, went on a rant about the divisive language used to shame mothers on Tuesday’s episode of the Today show
Bush Hager recounted how she ‘raced downtown’ earlier that morning to watch her daughters Mila, nine, and Poppy, six, perform in their school recital
The mother of three stressed that she has to ‘miss a lot’ of things because of work, insisting it was a ‘minor miracle’ that she made it to her daughters’ recital before going on air that day.
Kotb, who has two daughters of her own, agreed that moms shouldn’t feel guilty about not being able to make all of their children’s events.
Bush Hager, who also has a two-year-old son, Hal, with her husband, Henry Hager, added that she is also frustrated by mothers being pitted against each other and the parenting double standard they face.
‘Let me go on a little rant,’ she said. ‘All of the terms that we use to separate women make me mad. Like the “stay-at-home moms” versus “working moms.” Don’t divide us! We come together. Guess what? We all work! So, let’s just call us moms.’
The mother of three told her co-star Hoda Kotb that Poppy came up to her after and said, ‘You made it,’ which broke her heart because she has to ‘miss a lot’ of things because of work
Bush Hager said she hates divisive terms like ‘mom guilt’ that are meant to make women feel shame, noting that no one says ‘dad guilt’
Bush Hager added that her husband, Henry Hager, is never asked how ‘balanced’ he is as a father of three
The former first daughter continued: ‘Mom guilt, for example. Does anybody say dad guilt? I don’t think so! They don’t have guilt.’
For the same reason, Bush Hager also hates how mothers are asked how they ‘balance’ everything going on in their lives.
‘Nobody asked my husband how balanced he is. If he feels balanced,’ she said. ‘They don’t ask men that. They just ask women so that women then feel bad. We’re not comparing ourselves anymore. We come together.’
Bush Hager ended her rant by giving Kotb a high-five.
Bush Hager’s rant struck a chord with fans who took to the official Today with Hoda & Jenna Instagram page to praise her for her words
Her words struck a chord with viewers who took to the official Today with Hoda & Jenna Instagram page to praise her speech, including Jenna Dewan.
‘Amen,’ the actress and dancer wrote.
‘Yes, Jenna you are so right,’ another woman agreed, while someone else added: ‘I have also NEVER heard the term “Working Dads”…Just saying!!’
Bush Hager previously opened up about missing her children’s events in an interview with People in 2019, shortly after she welcomed Hal.
‘I try to focus on what I can do and what I do bring because I think if we beat ourselves up for everything we miss, then we’re not as happy of a parent as we can be,’ she said.
‘Since Henry and I both have big jobs, I’m hoping that our kids realize the biggest job and the biggest priority is them.’