Jenna Bush Hager's Honest Moment with Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Let me set the scene for you: It's a Tuesday morning, and the Today show is rolling along with its usual blend of celebrity interviews, breaking news, and heartfelt moments. Jenna Bush Hager, the ever-gracious cohost, found herself apologizing to guest Joseph Gordon-Levitt after an unintentional but shocking moment during their conversation. The incident happened on June 18, and it’s one of those moments that reminds us how real and unscripted live television can be.
Joseph, a seasoned actor at 43, was chatting with Jenna, 42, and her cohost Hoda Kotb about his exciting new role in the film Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. The film reunites him with none other than Eddie Murphy, a true icon and someone Joseph has admired since childhood. As you can imagine, it’s a dream project for him.
A Full-Circle Moment with Eddie Murphy
Joseph shared a touching story about his older brother, Daniel Gordon-Levitt, who was a huge Eddie Murphy fan when they were growing up. Joseph explained how his brother’s admiration for Eddie created a sort of mystique around the comedian for him. “When you have an older sibling, the things they like take on a certain coolness, right? They’re super cool, they’re maybe a little bit forbidden,” he said. “For me, this was Eddie Murphy when I was young because my brother was so into his stand-up, Saturday Night Live, and his movies like Beverly Hills Cop.”
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Joseph paused for a moment, clearly moved by the memory, before continuing, “So the opportunity to play his new sidekick… it’s just one of those full-circle moments that you cherish.” It’s a sentiment that resonates with anyone who has looked up to an older sibling or idolized a celebrity growing up.
The Unexpected Twist
During the interview, Jenna, with her usual warmth and humor, joked, “Did you call your brother and say, ‘Haha’?” It was a lighthearted question meant to capture the joy of Joseph’s dream come true. But Joseph’s response took everyone by surprise. “OK, well, so sadly, my brother is dead now,” he said quietly, his tone shifting from excitement to somber reflection.
Jenna immediately recognized her mistake and offered her heartfelt condolences. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice filled with genuine concern. Joseph, ever the gracious guest, reassured her that it was okay. In fact, he shared that working with Eddie Murphy was a way to honor his late brother. “It’s actually a lovely thing because you get to connect with someone you lost when you have these convictions,” he told Jenna and Hoda.
Remembering Daniel Gordon-Levitt
Joseph’s brother, Daniel, passed away in October 2010 at the age of 36. Joseph took to X (formerly Twitter) to announce the tragic news, referring to his brother as his “superhero brother.” The two had started the company hitRECord together, a creative platform where people could collaborate and share their art. It’s clear that Daniel had a profound impact on Joseph’s life and career.
On what would have been Daniel’s 46th birthday in July 2020, Joseph paid tribute to his late sibling. “Today’s my brother dan’s birthday,” he wrote on X. “He and I started @hitrecord together a long time ago. We all miss him, been ten years now since he died. I love seeing art inspired by him. Draw him, write about him, talk about him, whatever.”
Joseph also revealed that Daniel had inspired a scene in his show Mr. Corman, where he portrayed a public school teacher named Josh Corman. “In one of those, Josh has died, and that certainly reminded me less of my brother and more of my family’s experience going through that,” he told Business Insider. “He’s in kind of everything I do.”
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Lessons in Gratitude
Joseph shared that his brother often spoke about the importance of gratitude. “My brother talked about gratitude all the time, and Josh is someone that I think has that lesson to learn,” Joseph explained. “He knows he has a lot to be grateful for, but he’s not always able to tune into that, and that lesson was something I think my brother was very focused on. That’s something I admired about him.”
