Jenna Bush Hager's Attempt To Joke About Her 2000s Arrest Ends In A Hilarious On-Air Correction
Jenna Bush Hager had trouble recalling the details of her early 2000s arrest and it led to a hilarious on-air moment. Taking part in the Netflix documentary meme, Hager posted a video to TikTok on July 14 that poked fun at the legal troubles she had in the past. "Preparing for my Netflix documentary about that one time at El Arroyo when I was 19. IYKYK" read the caption over the video that showed her slowly sitting down in a chair. The TikTok was a reference to when Hager got in trouble with the law while her dad was in the White House. She was arrested twice for alcohol-related charges. The first was in April 2001 when she was caught drinking underage at a bar. The second incident happened only a month later when she tried to buy alcohol using someone else's driver's license.
@jennasheinelle Had to join in on this trend 😂😂 #jennaandsheinelle @Jenna Bush Hager
The TikTok caused a stir in the comment section, and it wasn't because fans were surprised to hear Hager had been booked for drinking alcohol when she was 19 years old. They were shocked to hear the arrest took place at El Arroyo. "Wait. You got cited for a fake ID at Chuy's. Now I am wondering what happened at El Arroyo!" one TikTok user wrote.
On the July 15 episode of "Today," Hager got in front of rumors by making an on-air correction. "I incorrectly stated, with the help of the social media team, that I had a drink at El Arroyo," she said while struggling to keep a straight face. "Now I have had some drinks at El Arroyo, but the drink we will be talking about in the documentary was actually at Chuy's," Hager added. That wasn't the first time Hager joked about her arrests.
Jenna Bush Hager was almost not arrested
In July 2025, Ashley Hicks went viral on TikTok for posting about her youth, as she grew up with a dad who worked for the Secret Service. Hicks recalled in one video how she went to a party and was home by curfew, but her strict father was still suspicious. "[M]y dad from literally across the room says, 'You think that gum is gonna mask what you've been up to,'" Hicks said in the viral clip.
The TikTok made its way to Jenna Bush Hager, who spoke about it on an episode of "Today with Jenna & Hoda" the following month. "Listen, Ashley. I, too, couldn't get away with much because I was followed by men with fanny packs that were concealing things," Hager joked (via Us Weekly). That led to a cheeky exchange with co-host Craig Melvin who brought up Hager's wild past. "I recall reading articles many years ago about you getting away with a fair amount," Melvin said, referring to her 2001 drinking incidents. "I was arrested! There's a mugshot that says I didn't get away with it," she replied with laughter.
Details of Hager's drinking charge at Chuy's (not El Arroyo) came out in June 2001. The bar's manager, Mia Lawrence, saw Hager — who was with her twin sister, Barbara Bush — was using another person's driver's license to try and buy alcohol. Instead of confiscating the ID and refusing service, Lawrence called 911. The manager told the Austin American-Statesman that the officer who arrived "suggested that I turn the other cheek" (via the New York Post). Lawrence was adamant, however, that the first daughters were strongly disciplined. "I felt the police should do what they normally do," the manager said.