Jenna Bush Hager said she doesn’t believe books should be removed, arguing that librarians—not political bans—should decide what’s appropriate. Her comments came after she shared a photo of her daughter reading “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and faced backlash.
When Jenna Bush Hager posted a photo of her daughter reading “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” she expected a simple parenting moment. What followed was backlash—and in response, she took to a podcast to make her case about banned books with uncommon directness.
On the May 20 episode of the “Las Culturistas” podcast. hosted by Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers. Hager joined a segment called “I Don’t Think So Honey. ” where guests share impassioned opinions. “I want my kid to read. Want to know why?. Books start conversations,” she said. “Know what we’re not having enough of in this country?. Conversations.”.
Her plea was straightforward: “I don’t think we should be taking these books out. Leave it up to the librarians.” She framed the issue as a choice between shielding children and letting them engage with ideas—and she pointed to the practical responsibility of libraries.
Hager described the comparison she said she’s drawn in her own view of media and access. “We can give our kids iPads. We can give our kids phones. But you’re taking ‘Beloved’ by Tony Morrison out of our libraries,” she said. Then she added the question that drove her argument: “Guess whose job it is to make sure it’s appropriate for your children?. The librarians.”.
She also acknowledged that her stance isn’t detached from her family history. “Now listen, I know I’m biased ‘cause my mother was a librarian,” Hager said. She recalled that her mother. Laura Bush. had a cat named Dewey—after the Dewey decimal system—and said. with a mix of humor and conviction. “I do think we should name cats after things that belong in the library.”.
Laura Bush’s path to that work began earlier in Texas. where she was a teacher and librarian before later prioritizing literacy as one of her key initiatives as first lady. Hager also tied her comments to the institutional work her mother supports. noting that Laura Bush runs The Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries. which provides grants for low-income schools to expand their book selections.
Hager returned to the theme the same week. speaking further during the May 20 episode of “Today with Jenna and Sheinelle” alongside her cohost Sheinelle Jones. “I don’t understand any taking away of intellectual freedom. but I understand the mom who would say. ‘Well. this isn’t appropriate for my child. ’” Hager said. She then pivoted to what she believes librarians are trained to do: “That’s why we train librarians to know what is age-appropriate. what is on level for reading.”.
Jones backed her, praising the perspective Hager brought through both her life and her work. Hager, Jones said, sits at the intersection of a book-centered career and family influence. “I think we needed to hear it from the perspective of someone who has. frankly. a book club—and you’re like a book queen at this point—but also you’re a mother. your mother was a librarian. like you’re in the space. ” Jones said.
Taken together, Hager’s message rests on a single dividing line: who gets to decide what children read—and whether the answer should be removed from libraries or placed with the people trained to guide access. In her telling, that decision should stay rooted in librarianship, not bans.
Jenna Bush Hager banned books librarians Laura Bush literacy intellectual freedom Tony Morrison The Summer I Turned Pretty Las Culturistas Today with Jenna and Sheinelle