Jenna Bush Hager called her father George W. Bush crying because Hoda Kotb left “Today”

Jenna Bush Hager cried and called her father, former President George W. Bush, to tell him that Hoda Kotb was leaving the “Today” show after 26 years at NBC.

The co-hosts spoke about Kotb’s shocking announcement on Thursday’s episode of “Today With Hoda and Jenna” as they discussed a full-circle moment with the former president.

“I don’t know if you’re embarrassed to say this or not, but I think we should talk about how you called your dad. And I remember when you first started working with me, you were scared, so she called her dad,” Kotb recalled, referring to Bush Hager, who landed the co-host job in 2019.

Bush Hager then recalled that while he was “happy” that she got the job five years ago, he jokingly reminded her that “Hoda is the star.”

“Then I called him last night. At first he thought something really terrible had happened, like I had lost a loved one because I was so emotional,” she said. “And then he said, ‘Oh, she’s leaving because it’s about time and you’re going to be OK. It’s your turn. It’s OK.'”

Kotb, who was also crying, stood up and clapped for the 42-year-old and assured her that the former politician was right.

“It’s your turn. It’s your turn! And whoever is sitting in that seat is going to have the easiest job in the world because they’re sitting next to you. I mean, the only thing they have to do is not laugh so hard that they pee their pants – that’s all. They just have to hang on, that’s all. You are that bright light. You always have been, and now it’s your turn,” praised Kotb, 60.

The co-hosts had an emotional moment when they both broke down in tears while discussing Kotb’s shocking announcement that she would be leaving both the “Today” show and “Today With Hoda and Jenna” in early 2025.

“It’s hard to say goodbye to something so great,” Kotb said, crying. “It weighed on me a lot. I went back and forth and then I thought, ‘You know, I think this decade is where I need to start making choices for myself.'”

Bush Hager said at the time that she had reacted “crazy” after Kotb told her the “bittersweet” news just “a few days ago.”

“I said, ‘No! You can’t leave, because what do we have here, with all these people?'” she said through tears. “It’s magical and powerful and that’s what it feels like here, and you’re the one I come to when I’m happy, when I’m unsure, you’re the one I come to, and you were the first to believe in me.”

Kotb gushed that their five years together were “one in a million,” but she is now stepping back to focus on herself and continue raising her two adopted daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 4.

The longtime presenter surprised her fans with the announcement that she would be leaving the “Today” show family after 26 years at NBC.

“I’ve decided it’s the right time for me to move on. And considering all of that, it’s the hardest thing in the world. I won’t be here after the first of the year. I’ll stay in the NBC family, but it’s a pretty big deal for me,” she said tearfully as she sat next to Bush Hager, Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin and her “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie.

Before making her decision public, a source told Page Six that she wanted to quit the show and enjoy life in the suburbs with her daughters.

“It’s heartbreaking for everyone, but Hoda wants to be able to take her kids to school,” the insider said, assuring us that she will remain on the show in “some capacity.”

Kotb shared the news with viewers during the second hour of “Today,” but wrote a heartfelt letter to staff earlier that morning.

“As I write this, my heart is somewhere else entirely. I know I am making the right decision, but it is a painful one. And you are all the reason for it,” she wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Page Six.

Kotb went on to refer to Guthrie as her “rock,” Bush Hager as her “ride-or-die,” and Roker as her “longest friend at 30 Rock.”

Kotb began her time at NBC as a correspondent for “Dateline NBC” before co-hosting “Today With Hoda and Kathie Lee” with Kathie Lee Gifford. When Gifford retired in 2019, Bush Hager took her place.

She has since co-hosted “Today” with Savannah Guthrie since Matt Lauer was fired in 2017 for alleged sexual misconduct.