Jenna Bush Hager said her dad laughed off ‘SNL’ impressions when he was president

It turns out that George W. Bush was laughing along with everyone else when Will Ferrell did his impression of the former president on "Saturday Night Live" in the early 2000s.

Spurred by a discussion of Zoë Kravitz roasting her dad Lenny at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on March 12, TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager remembered the days when she and her twin sister would see their dad get lampooned on "SNL."

"I like to harass my dad," she told Hoda Kotb on the 3rd hour of TODAY. "When he was the president, Barbara and I would show him the 'Saturday Night Live's' where they made fun of him and stuff. He loved it."

Will Ferrell played Bush on the show for years, often breaking out made-up malaprops like "stratechery" and "misunderistimation." The comic actor even brought back his impression in 2017, nine years after Bush had left office after two terms.

Jenna also got to see it in person when Ferrell broke out his best George W. Bush impersonation on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna in 2022.

The "SNL" crew wasn't the only ones having fun at Bush's expense, as Jenna and Barbara often found out.

"Will Ferrell — there were other comedians that also did things," she said. "Once we were at the gym and there was a bumper sticker that said, 'A village in Texas is missing its idiot.' And Barbara and I read it, took a minute, and then we were like, (laughing).

"We told our dad. He didn’t care. He thought it was hilarious."

Jenna said her father had thick skin when it came to all the parodies.

"If you’re going to be the president of the United States, people are going to make fun of you," Jenna said. "And guess what, it ain’t just about you. That’s how it is, man. That’s how it’s always been."

"Right, don't take it personally," Hoda said. "Just laugh about it."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com