Why Jenna Bush Hager's Daughter Was Majorly Jealous Of Ben & Erin Napier's House
"Today" host Jenna Bush Hager and HGTV's Ben and Erin Napier's holiday get-together proves that it doesn't matter where you come from or your lifestyle: your kids will always think someone else's house is cooler than yours. Hager visited the "Home Town" stars' Laurel, Mississippi store The Scent Library in November 2023 while her daughter, Poppy, went to the Napiers' house for a playdate with Erin and Ben's kids, Helen and Mae.
While Hager, her sister, Barbara Bush, and the Napiers discussed holiday decorations and traditions, Poppy was enjoying the roominess of the Napiers' home. "[Poppy] had a playdate with the Napiers' kids," Hager explained later to her show host, Hoda Kotb (via Today). "She went over to the house, and she's like, 'How come they get a big, cool playroom?'"
Hager's short and sweet response? "Well, their dad's a contractor." Indeed, after we caught a glimpse of the Napiers' renovated farmhouse basement-turned-playroom, it's easy to see why Poppy was so entranced with Helen and Mae's rec space.
The Napiers' playroom wowed Jenna Bush Hager's daughter (and us, too)
One of the many perks of having two DIY masters as parents is the opportunity to create the most elaborate, whimsical playrooms a child could dream of — which is exactly what Ben and Erin Napier did for their two young daughters. The HGTV stars utilized some not-so-restful downtime from their home improvement shows to transform their farmhouse basement into a half lounge, half recreation room for the kids.
Erin posted the beginning stages of the project on Instagram in December 2022, which she said was partially meant to make the girls feel more comfortable when the Mississippi family has to shelter from tornadoes common to that area of the country. Erin wrote that she and Ben "started trying to make [the basement] something nice and not so scary, so when the tornadoes come, the girls won't be scared to hunker down in here."
The cozy basement space features warm string lights across the exposed rafters, two plush Chesterfield couches, and something all kids (or fans of the movie "Spice World") have dreamt about: indoor swings. In addition to the swings, Helen and Mae's play area has a dollhouse, plenty of storage for their toys, and, as Jenna Bush Hager's daughter Poppy said, lots of room.
Jenna Bush Hager's kids aren't afraid of occasionally razzing their mom
Jenna Bush Hager's daughter Poppy spent time with her mom, Aunt Barbara Bush, and Erin and Ben Napier before heading off to the Napiers' house for her playdate. While there, the crafty crew practiced stringing dried orange slices onto twine to make a rustic, festive garland for the Napiers' window display Christmas tree. The Bush sisters were impressed with the clever DIY decor hack, with Bush commenting to Hager, "You could turn into the DIY mom you've been trying to be."
"I've been wanting to be a DIY mom in my later years," Hager admitted. She then asked Poppy if she was a good DIY mom, who quickly yelled from across the shop, "Definitely not!" (Out of the mouths of babes, right?) And Poppy's not the only one of Hager's three kids who rarely hesitate to keep it real with their TV personality mom. In fact, it's these free-dropping truth bombs that prompted Hager to ban her own kids from the set of "The Today Show."
For example, Hager's eldest daughter, Mila, visited the "Today" set in December 2022, during which Koda Kotb talked about how much she loved making Mila's mother laugh. Mila quickly replied, "One time, she was laughing in our living room, and she peed her pants." A tough break for Hager — but at least she's raising her kids to speak their truth.