Jenna Bush Hager Thought Her Husband Would Fall in Love with Guest Co-Host Scarlett Johansson: ‘Turns Out It Was Me’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Jenna Bush Hager and Scarlett Johansson.Photo:Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

Love is in the air for the Hagers andScarlett Johansson— just not in the wayJenna Bush Hagerhad anticipated.TheTodayshow co-anchor, 43, told PEOPLE at aRead with Jennaevent in New York City earlier this month that she predicted her husbandHenry Chase Hagerwould “fall in love” with theBlack Widowactress, 40, whenJohansson guest co-hostedJenna & Friendsfor a week in January.“I thought it was my husband that was going to fall in love with her, but it turns out it was me,” Jenna jokingly confessed, referring to her 46-year-old partner, whom she married in 2008 at her family’s lakeside ranch in Texas.Henry and Jenna Bush Hager with Savannah Guthrie at the 2024 US Open.Kena Betancur/AFP via GettyDuring one episode ofJenna & Friends, the fourth hour of the NBC morning staple, Jenna and Johansson played a “Best Friends” game, during which they learned they both prefer piercings over tattoos. The mutual revelation inspired them toget piercings togetherlater that week.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We were like, ‘Let’s just get our ears pierced together,’ ” Johansson told the crowd at the time. “So we have committed to that. Today we’re doing it.”“I have a lot of piercings,” she continued. “When I was a kid, I just was into piercings, and then I had my eyebrow pierced, my septum, my everything. It was just a thing. And so I think it’s been a minute since I got a piercing, so I’m excited to do it with you.”Jenna Bush Hager and Scarlett Johansson in January 2025.Nathan Congleton/NBC via GettyAt the Read with Jenna event on Feb. 10,Jenna was in conversation with Jessica Sofferabout the author’s novelThis Is a Love Story, which chronicles a decades-long marriage between a couple who met in Central Park.“I like reading a book likeThis Is a Love Storybecause it lets me sort of live among the romance of others when I’ve been married to somebody for 16 years,” Jenna told PEOPLE of living vicariously through fictional characters.Todayairs weekdays, beginning at 7 a.m. ET, on NBC.

Love is in the air for the Hagers andScarlett Johansson— just not in the wayJenna Bush Hagerhad anticipated.

TheTodayshow co-anchor, 43, told PEOPLE at aRead with Jennaevent in New York City earlier this month that she predicted her husbandHenry Chase Hagerwould “fall in love” with theBlack Widowactress, 40, whenJohansson guest co-hostedJenna & Friendsfor a week in January.

“I thought it was my husband that was going to fall in love with her, but it turns out it was me,” Jenna jokingly confessed, referring to her 46-year-old partner, whom she married in 2008 at her family’s lakeside ranch in Texas.

Henry and Jenna Bush Hager with Savannah Guthrie at the 2024 US Open.Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty

Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty

During one episode ofJenna & Friends, the fourth hour of the NBC morning staple, Jenna and Johansson played a “Best Friends” game, during which they learned they both prefer piercings over tattoos. The mutual revelation inspired them toget piercings togetherlater that week.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“We were like, ‘Let’s just get our ears pierced together,’ ” Johansson told the crowd at the time. “So we have committed to that. Today we’re doing it.”

“I have a lot of piercings,” she continued. “When I was a kid, I just was into piercings, and then I had my eyebrow pierced, my septum, my everything. It was just a thing. And so I think it’s been a minute since I got a piercing, so I’m excited to do it with you.”

Jenna Bush Hager and Scarlett Johansson in January 2025.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

At the Read with Jenna event on Feb. 10,Jenna was in conversation with Jessica Sofferabout the author’s novelThis Is a Love Story, which chronicles a decades-long marriage between a couple who met in Central Park.

“I like reading a book likeThis Is a Love Storybecause it lets me sort of live among the romance of others when I’ve been married to somebody for 16 years,” Jenna told PEOPLE of living vicariously through fictional characters.

Todayairs weekdays, beginning at 7 a.m. ET, on NBC.

source: people.com