Divorce Rumors Have Plagued Jenna Bush Hager's Marriage

It's safe to say Jenna Bush Hager knows a thing or two about being the subject of rumors. Growing up as the daughter of a sitting United States President and the granddaughter of a former president, she's made plenty of headlines — especially once she went off to college. (You can read all about Jenna's wild past here.) Alas, it's her marriage to her longtime husband and father of her three children, Henry Chase Hager, that's really got people flapping their gums– and not for the right reasons. 

As you may recall, the couple tied the knot in an intimate, low-key ceremony on then-President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush's private sprawling ranch near Crawford, Texas. "Our little girl, Jenna, married a really good guy, Henry Hager," the proud father and president told a gaggle of reporters just before boarding Air Force One on a flight back to the White House, per NBC News. "The wedding was spectacular. It's just — it's all we could have hoped for." Sadly, since the fairy tale wedding, the marriage has been plagued by rampant divorce rumors. 

Were Jenna Bush Hager and Henry Chase Hager doomed from the very get-go? The story goes that after a whirlwind few months of dating, Jenna got a tad carried away and decided to take matters into her own hands, proposing to Henry first. "After three months of dating — I might've had a Christmas cocktail — and we were dancing, and I said, 'This is it, I know it, let's just get married, what are we waiting for?'" Jenna recalled during an episode of the "Today" show in February 2020. Unfortunately for Jenna, however, Henry wasn't as keen on the spur-of-the-moment proposal. According to Jenna, "He smiled, and he was like, 'I'm crazy about you, but you're young.'" It should be noted, however, that she was 22 at the time — not exactly a child bride. Jenna was adamant, though, that she didn't get completely denied. "He didn't say no, he just was like [laughing]," she stressed.

While the couple did go on to get engaged five years later, Jenna's on-air admission alone was enough to fuel some pretty gnarly rumors that the couple's union might not go the distance after all. And Jenna's commentary during an episode of "Today with Jenna and Hoda" didn't exactly help all of the speculation. "I had kind of — in a dramatic fashion that you may or may not recognize — said, 'Listen, if you don't want me to move to Latin America, we need to get engaged,'" (via People) she recalled, acknowledging behavior "was kind of like a manipulative ultimatum." Ruh-roh.

In yet another on-air admission that got rumors swirling, Henry Chase Hager revealed that he basically ghosted Jenna Bush Hager after first meeting her. On December 31, 2025, Henry appeared on "Today With Jenna & Friends," and proceeded to open his mouth and insert his foot. While discussing the beginning of their courtship and relationship trajectory, Henry let it slip that he deliberately did not contact Jenna for a whopping three whole weeks after meeting her for the first time — supposedly all in an effort to "play it cool." In Henry's own words, "After our first date, there was a lot going on. Work was busy, and I just sort of ... to your point, you've got to keep the interest there. For about three weeks, I didn't contact you "(via OK! magazine).

As one can imagine, viewers at home were less than charmed by Henry's lackadaisical indifference upon meeting his future wife. Suffice to say, there are SO many weird things about Jenna's marriage. So. Many. 

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego Jenna Bush Hager's wedding ring?! In February 2025, divorce rumors began swirling when eagle-eyed "Today With Jenna & Friends"  viewers noticed the famous co-host wasn't wearing her wedding ring. "HOPEFULLY DIVORCE IS ON THE HORIZON FOR YOU!!!!!" one Instagram user wrote in the comments section underneath one of Jenna's posts where she was holding up a book and showing off a very naked left ring finger.

Eventually, however, it appeared Jenna had grown tired of all the divorce speculation when she seized the opportunity to clear up the matter once and for all during a segment on the September 25 episode of "Today with Hoda and Jenna," called "Social Dilemmas." While walking a caller through a precarious situation involving a boyfriend who planned to propose to her with a family heirloom ring she didn't like, Jenna casually brought up her own notably missing-in-action family heirloom engagement ring. "I'm not wearing my ring, but don't worry ... we're still happy together, but I broke my finger," she noted (via People). Duly noted, Jenna. Duly noted.