If you're looking for a family that knows how to have fun, look no further than the Hager household. Jenna Bush Hager’s son, Hal, has a knack for making his mom laugh, even if it means pulling a fast one on her. The Today show host recently shared a hilarious story about her youngest child’s clever prank on the very first day of school. It's the kind of story that reminds us why we love watching Jenna on TV — she’s relatable, funny, and always keeps things light.
First Day of School, First Prank
At just 42 years old, Jenna is already a seasoned mom to three kids: Mila, Poppy, and the mischievous Hal, who just turned 5. During a Today episode on Thursday, September 5, Jenna shared a story that had the studio audience in stitches. She explained how she dropped off her kids for their first day of school and later picked them up, ready to hear all about their day. But Hal wasn’t about to let the day pass without a little mischief.
“When I went to pick Hal up, Mila was with me,” Jenna recounted to her cohost, Hoda Kotb. “I asked him, ‘Hal, how was school?’ And he said, ‘Pretty good, but I went to the principal’s office.’” Jenna’s reaction was priceless — she was shocked. “Day one! I mean, the school day was like 12 minutes,” she said, emphasizing just how absurd it sounded.
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Hal’s Apple Sauce Saga
Jenna, being the curious mom she is, naturally followed up with, “‘OK, so why did you go to the principal’s office?’” Hal’s response? “‘I squirted apple sauce.’” At first, Jenna thought it might have been an accident, but then she noticed Mila giving her a look that said, “He’s totally lying.” It turned out Hal was just trying to get a rise out of his mom, and it worked!
“It sounded like it was an accident … and Mila looked at me like, ‘He’s lying,’” Jenna told her colleague. But Jenna decided to play along. She told Hal she’d ask his teacher about the alleged apple sauce incident when she met them at back-to-school night. That’s when Hal realized his prank was up, and he confessed. “He knew he was busted,” Jenna laughed. And in the end, Hal admitted he’d had “the best day ever” at school.
Prying Jokes Are a Family Tradition
For Jenna and her family, pranks aren’t just for the first day of school — they’re a year-round tradition. On April Fools’ Day, Jenna revealed another attempt at pulling off a prank that didn’t quite go as planned. This time, she enlisted Hal’s help with a plan that involved some beans, a microwave, and a little acting.
“Well first — and this was my doing — I had Hal, who is 4, we warmed some beans up in the microwave,” Jenna explained. “I tried to take a play out of George Clooney’s book. He was supposed to go to sleep but we waited for Henry to come home. We had already set it up where I told Henry, ‘Yeah, everything’s fine but Hal’s stomach is not great, not great.’”
“I put them in a small little cup,” Jenna continued. “We hid in the living room. Hal practiced multiple times: ‘Ouch, Daddy! My stomach hurts! Oh no, I pooped my pants!’ And then wipe it on Henry.” But as with many well-laid plans, things didn’t go according to script. When it came time to execute the prank, Hal ran in yelling, “Dad, ooh, my stomach, I pooped my pants!” and wiped the beans all over Henry’s clothes. Unfortunately, Henry wasn’t fooled. “It didn’t work,” Jenna admitted with a laugh.
Not one to give up, Jenna decided to try another prank. She told the kids their cat Hollywood was pregnant by their other cat Mango. “Um … they fell for it and when I told [them] it wasn’t true? Tears. They thought they were going to have kittens,” Jenna confessed, laughing at the memory.
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Whether it's Hal's apple sauce prank or Jenna's attempts to fool her family with cat pregnancies, one thing is clear: laughter and fun are always on the menu in the Hager household. And isn’t that what life is all about? Keeping things light, even when things don’t always go as planned.
