Jenna Bush Hager breaks down on TV and is consoled by Sheinelle Jones

"Today" co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones abandoned the script for a tender on-camera moment discussing the difficulties of balancing her demanding career and motherhood.

On the April 30 episode of "Today With Jenna & Sheinelle," Hager said she wants to spend more time with her children, including her 10-year-old daughter Poppy. However, she revealed that her workload, which includes the talk show and her Thousand Voices publishing imprint, has felt extra heavy as of late.

"I have been working a lot because this has been shooting, then I've had these big interviews, and then all the book stuff. And so, when this morning, when I woke up, I thought, 'Okay, the next couple weeks, the next couple months, it's kid-focused," Hager told Jones.

While tearing up, the Read with Jenna book club founder said, "I'm like, how can I show up for Poppy in a way? And, like, now I want to cry."

Jones consoled her fellow mother, saying, "We can't do it all at the same time, but when we're here, when we're in the moment, you lean into your presence. You just had a whole Mommy & Me thing. And that was amazing!"

A distraught Hager then replied, "But that wasn't with Poppy."

The daughter of former president George W. Bush shares three children with her husband, Henry Chase Hager, including daughters Mila, 13, Poppy, 10, and son Hal, 6.

'We can't do it all at once,' Sheinelle Jones says

Jones reminded her co-host that "We can't do it all at once," encouraging her to ease the pressure Hager's placed on herself.

"You guys, we just had a moment collectively. But it's OK," Jones said.

Hager then returned to the script promoting the show's interviews with Queen Camilla and "Severance" star Adam Scott.

As the show cut to a commercial break, Hager was quietly heard telling Jones, "I mean, what is wrong with me," and the pair shared another hug.

Since her debut on the show in January, Jones has embraced being unapologetically vulnerable on live TV. In her first episode, she shared that her late husband, Uche Ojeh, who died in May 2025 from brain cancer, encouraged her to join the talk show when Hoda Kotb left. Jones shared three children with Ojeh, including Kayin, 16, and twins Clara and Uche, 13.

"Sheinelle’s a pro," Hager told USA TODAY in January. "She's been a journalist for 30-plus years, and that's important. We're doing a television show. But also, she has the most open heart. She's not afraid to talk about things that all of us are feeling, and that's somebody that I want to be partnered with."