Jenna Bush Hager proudly showed off the engraved bracelet Kathie Lee Gifford gifted her in honor of her first day co-hosting the fourth hour of the Today show — but it turns out the thoughtful gift was actually meant for Hoda Kotb.
The 37-year-old, who made her debut as the permanent co-host of Today with Hoda & Jenna this week, opened up about the gift on Tuesday morning, explaining that she found a jewelry box and a ‘beautiful card’ from her predecessor in her dressing room on her first day.
Inside the box was a bracelet featuring Kathie Lee’s favorite slogan: My joy is non-negotiable.
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Surprise: Jenna Bush Hager, 37, revealed on the Today show Tuesday that her predecessor Kathie Lee Gifford, 65, had given her a bracelet in honor of her first day as a co-host
Thoughtful: The bracelet was engraved with Kathie Lee’s slogan: My joy is non-negotiable
Hard to miss: Jenna said she found a jewelry box and a ‘beautiful card’ from Kathie Lee in her dressing room for her first day
Jenna said she meant to show off the bracelet on Monday, but she was so excited for her first show that she forgot.
After putting the bracelet on her wrist, she gushed: ‘Kathie has been so gracious, and this is just another example of that.’
But the gift was actually meant for Hoda — and is engraved with her two-year-old daughter Haley Joy’s name and birth year.
‘I told y’all yesterday about this bracelet that Kathie Lee left in my room, and I really thought it was so sweet,’ Jenna recounted on Wednesday morning’s show.
‘It says: My joy is non-negotiable. So, I read the first thing thinking it was repeated twice,’ she admitted. ‘Turns out, it’s not.’
First day jitters: The new host said she meant to show off the bracelet on Monday, but she was so excited for her first show that she forgot
New jewelry: After putting the bracelet on her wrist, she gushed that ‘Kathie has been so gracious’ to her
‘You want to read what it says?’ Jenna asked, passing the bracelet to Hoda.
‘It says: My joy is non-negotiable Haley Joy 2017,’ Hoda read out loud before bursting into laughter.
‘Thank you,’ she said, putting the bracelet on her own wrist.
Jenna explained that she thinks it was a gift from Kathie to Hoda that was given in 2017, admitting that she was caught off guard when she read the full inscription out loud.
‘They actually asked me to read it on Instagram and I was like Haley Joy? 2017? I don’t get it,’ she recalled.
Oh no: After publicly talking about the gift, Jenna realized the bracelet also said ‘Haley Joy 2017’ — the name and birth year of Hoda’s two-year-old daughter
Mistaken identity: ‘I think it was meant for you,’ Jenna told Hoda on Wednesday’s show
Thanks! Hoda, 54, burst into laughter before putting the bracelet on her own wrist
‘But anyway it looks beautiful on you,’ she told her new co-host. ‘I think it was meant for you.’
‘It was meant for me,’ Hoda agreed. ‘I love it. ‘Thank you.’
Jenna has taken over for Kathie Lee, who said farewell last Friday after 11 years co-hosting the fourth hour of the Today show with Hoda.
The mother-of-two paid tribute to her predecessor on Instagram last week, sharing a sweet photo of herself on set with her daughters, Mila and Poppy, and Kathie Lee.
‘I adore @kathielgifford. My kids adore her. She’s taught me about humor, and steadfast faith, how to raise compassionate children…and how to eat Peanut Butter on a spoon. We love you KLG!’ she captioned the image.
End of an era: Jenna has taken over for Kathie Lee, who said farewell last Friday after 11 years co-hosting the fourth hour of the Today show with Hoda
Looking back: The mother-of-two paid tribute to her predecessor on Instagram last week, sharing a sweet photo of herself on set with her daughters, Mila and Poppy, and Kathie Lee
Fan club: In the caption, Jenna wrote that both she and her children ‘adore’ Kathie Lee
Memories: Jenna also revealed on Wednesday’s show that she wrote her daughters, Mila, five, and Poppy, three, emails on the way to the hospital on the day they were born
Jenna often shares stories about her children and motherhood on the Today show, and on Wednesday morning, she told Hoda that she wrote Mila, five, and Poppy, three, emails on the way to the hospital on the day they were born.
‘I mean, I had planned C-sections,’ she joked.
After thinking it over, Jenna said that she probably wrote Mila’s letter after she was born, but penned Poppy’s on the way to the hospital.
Jenna said it was ‘just a little letter to her about what it looked like outside’ and how early it was when she and her husband, Henry Hager, were in a taxi cab on the way to the hospital.
‘Then you can remember to tell them their story of what it was like when they were born,’ she said of the thoughtful gesture.