Jenna Bush Hager reveals daughter Mila’s brutally-honest criticism of her face

Jenna Bush Hager has opened up about her daughter Mila’s tough criticism of her appearance, saying the nine-year-old has pointed out her gray hair and told her she ‘looks better in makeup.’

The Today host, 40, was chatting with her co-host Hoda Kotb on the show earlier this week when she shared a recent conversation she had with her oldest child after she returned home from a business trip to Scotland. 

‘I think I’m fairly attractive. I feel good about myself, but one of my children is always checking me out,’ Bush Hager explained of Mila, saying she hones in on ‘all my flaws.’ 

The host explained that she considers herself to be ‘fairly attractive,’ but her nine-year-old daughter (pictured) is always ‘checking [her] out’ and pointing out ‘all [her] flaws’

The mom, who also has a younger daughter, Poppy, seven, and son, Hal, three, shared that she was ‘so excited’ to see her children after she returned from Scotland, but the heartwarming reunion took a surprising turn. 

Bush Hager recalled how Mila gave her a big hug before taking in her appearance. 

‘Immediately she kind of looked back and looked at me and goes, “Oh, you’re right mom,”‘ she said. ‘And I’m like, “I’m right about what?” And she’s like, “You do look better in makeup.”‘

Bush Hager recalled how Mila told her she ‘looks better in makeup’ after she returned home from a recent trip to Scotland

The mom was trying to navigate the situation when Mila pointed out ‘those red things’ on her face and once again suggested she put on makeup 

Kotb got a kick out of Mila’s brutal honesty and let out a laugh as Bush Hager continued her story. 

‘I was like, “Mila, I don’t think I said I look better in makeup.’ And [my husband] Henry’s kind of standing, just observing,”‘ the former first daughter said. 

‘And she’s like, “Well, what are those red things [on your face]?” and I’m like, “The red things?” She’s like, “Maybe, you know, let’s come and have lunch, but I think you should put on some makeup.”‘

Bush Hager has taken the comments about her appearance in stride, but she noted Mila also had some thoughts about her gray roots that she had no problem sharing. 

Bush Hager added that her eldest daughter also insisted she has to ‘do something about those grays’ when she was working out the other day

‘I just am like where does it come from?’ the former first daughter said 

Bush Hager also shares a younger daughter, Poppy, seven, and a son, Hal, three, with her husband, Henry Hager 

‘In passing, I had my hair up, I was exercising the other day. She just walked by and goes, “You gotta do something about those grays,”‘ she said. 

Kotb found Mila’s behavior particularly amusing because it is ‘the total opposite’ of how her co-star acts. 

‘I just am like where does it come from?’ Bush Hager agreed. 

Kotb shares two daughters of her own — Haley, five, and Hope, three — with her ex-fiancé, Joel Schiffman, and she said she got a similar dose of honesty from her youngest child the other day. 

Kotb found Mila’s behavior particularly amusing because it is ‘the total opposite’ of how Bush Hager acts 

Kotb, who has daughters Haley, five, and Hope, three, shared that she got a similar dose of honesty from her youngest child the other day 

The Today co-anchor said Hope thought her nose looked broken and asked, ‘Is mine gonna be broken like that one day?’

‘We were really close together because I’d been gone, I was in England,’ she explained. ‘I came back, and we had a special date, and she goes, “Your nose is broken.” I go, “What?” She goes, “Look on the top, it’s broken.’

Hope then asked, ‘Is mine gonna be broken like that one day?”‘

Kotb assured her that her nose wasn’t broken, but the little girl wasn’t convinced. 

The mom then imitated how her young daughter pointed to her nose, saying, ‘Yes, it is mommy. Look right here.’