Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones may have just started sharing the fourth hour of the Today show, but their bond goes back longer than people might think.

Ever since Sheinelle took over as Jenna’s permanent co-host of Today With Jenna and Sheinelle in January 2026, viewers can’t help but love how the duo’s friendship is expanding to a whole new level. But it turns out they have an interesting connection that has to do with their fathers.

As Sheinelle showed off her recent feature in Philadelphia magazine on March 4, she explained how special it was to do so, since her dad, C. Darnell Jones II, lived there during her childhood and when she started her career as a news reporter. But Jenna also noted that Darnell previously worked with her dad, former President George W. Bush, back in the day.
jenna bush hager sheinelle jones

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“The other thing that you talk about in this article, which I knew but many people don’t—our fathers are connected, kind of,” Jenna revealed in a clip posted on YouTube.

“It’s so crazy,” Sheinelle agreed. “Her father nominated my father to the federal bench, and so my father’s a federal judge … He ended up going through in the Obama years, but it was her father that put it in motion.”

“You told me that once over many a margarita,” Jenna added. “Isn’t that a wild story? Who could ever predict that? The world is a weird and wonderful place.”

Jenna’s dad was President from 2001 to 2009. During that time, he had the power to nominate people to the federal judges’ circuit, which he did for Darnell in 2008. Per TV Insider, the latter was later sworn in as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and retired after 14 years of service in November 2022.

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What an incredible story, and we can only imagine what other invisible-string moments Jenna and Sheinelle have!