Jenna Bush Hager Says Grandmother Barbara Bush Once Told Her She Looked 'Chubby' in a Bikini

Jenna Bush Hager is opening up about body comments her grandmother Barbara Bush made when she was younger.

On a recent episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Bush Hager discussed Billie Eilish's remarks about her body in the latest issue of Vogue, in which the singer revealed, "I felt like my body was gaslighting me for years."

Eilish added that she "had to go through a process of being like, my body is actually me. And it's not out to get me."

Sharing her thoughts on Eilish's comments, Bush Hager recalled a moment between her and Bush that happened when she was a teenager.

.@billieeilish opens up about her relationship with her body in @voguemagazine’s first ever video cover. pic.twitter.com/8IKPTqjJ8D

— TODAY with Hoda & Jenna (@HodaAndJenna) January 6, 2023

"I remember the bikini color that I was wearing; a yellow bikini color. I was laying next to my sister. And my grandmother, who I adored but had kind of a biting personality, said something like, 'Oh Jenna, looking chubby.' "

"I remember feeling like I wanted to hide in it," shared Bush Hager.

Later on, the former first lady explained to Bush Hager that "her mother said those types of things to her."

Bush Hager explained, "Her mother always thought of her sister as the really beautiful one and would say it. 'Martha's the pretty one, you're the funny one, you're the smart one. Martha's this one, you're that one.' "

Reflecting on that conversation, Bush Hager added, "Late in life, she said, 'You know when I said those things to you, I was talking to myself.' "

Bush Hager later told Kotb, "I didn't wear a bikini for years."

In her adult years, it's safe to say Bush Hager has grown much more comfortable with her body.

In a November episode of Today, Kotb revealed that she recently learned something new about Bush Hager — that she "never wears underwear."

"I was a little surprised because Jenna and I know a lot about each other," Kotb told the crowd on the NBC daytime show, which was being filmed in front of a studio audience.

She went on to explain that she discovered Bush Hager's love for going commando right before the show, when the two had to change in the dressing area. "I just had a little shock with it," said Kotb, recalling when she "noticed."

Bush Hager, for her part, defended her choice. "I think it makes a more pretty silhouette!" she said. "I also think you don't have to pack as much. There's a lot of pros to it!"

But she also appeared to be a little embarrassed. "You promised me you wouldn't do this! There's a lot of people here!" the former first daughter told Kotb, later joking, "I'm sure my mom has never been more proud."