Jenna Bush Hager just pulled a little Hollywood reveal on live TV, and it involves the alter ego she used to sneak past front desks. On the Sept. 23 episode of TODAY with Jenna & Friends, the former first daughter told guest co-host Sheinelle Jones that, back when she was younger and traveling under the glare of public attention, she checked into hotels with a fake name “for a period of time.”
She didn’t exactly relish the cloak and dagger routine. “I didn’t love it,” Jenna admitted. “I was just like a 18-year-old kid.” Then she decided to spill anyway, “It’s not classified. Let’s declassify it.” A beat later, she revealed the alias, “My name was Holly Crawford.”
Jones’ jaw practically hit the desk. “Wait,” Sheinelle said, genuinely stunned. “I really love it.” Jenna leaned into the bit, slipping into a soft drawl to sell the vibe. “I know. Holly sounds like a good time, doesn’t she?” she teased, adding that when “Holly” showed up, she was “ready to order a margarita.” The studio cracked up, and Jones co-signed the party-ready persona, “She sounds like a good time.”
Why Crawford? There’s family history baked into the name. Jenna explained that Crawford nods to the small Texas town where her parents kept a home, better known to America as the site of President George W. Bush’s Prairie Chapel Ranch, often dubbed the “Western White House” during his presidency. The ranch, set near Crawford in McLennan County, became the Bush family’s off duty base and a magnet for world leaders, weddings including Jenna’s in 2008, and plenty of press. So yes, Holly Crawford was both a wink and a decoy.
Jenna also hinted the alias may have come from the Secret Service, which routinely sets up safety protocols for high-profile families, measures that can include low key check ins during travel. And if the ‘Holly’ handle was the civilian cover, Jenna’s known official Secret Service codename as a teen was a sparkle of its own, Twinkle. Years later, she laughed that when she returned to the White House with TODAY colleagues, staffers greeted her with, “Twinkle, welcome home.” Not a bad way to be remembered.
The playful reveal unfolded during a week when Jones has been filling in beside Jenna, and the two have clicked on everything from fashion throwbacks to heartfelt life updates. But nothing quite landed like Holly Crawford, a name that sounds equal parts Texas socialite and spring break legend. If you’re picturing a floppy hat, a salt-rimmed glass, and a playlist that never leaves early 2000s pop, you’re not alone.
Beyond the laughs, there’s a real-world reason presidential kids lean on pseudonyms, privacy, safety, and a sliver of normalcy when every move can be tracked. For Jenna, who grew up under the brightest of spotlights and now helms her own show on TODAY, the alias was a small shield during a very public chapter. The fact that she can joke about it now says plenty about how far she’s come from that 18-year-old “kid” learning to navigate hotel lobbies, headlines, and history, one “Holly” at a time.
