Jenna Bush Hager Sings Her Own Lyrics to Dolly Parton's 'Jolene': 'Go Ahead and Take That Stupid Man'
The 'Today' co-host came up with her version of the song while remembering a time that one of her exes kissed another girl right in front of her
Just like Dolly Parton, Jenna Bush Hager has had her own experience with a "Jolene."
On Monday's episode of Today with Hoda and Jenna, the talk show personality, 42, was discussing Beyoncé's latest cover of Parton's classic hit when she revealed that she was once in a situation that involved another girl trying to take her man.
"Everybody’s had a Jolene," Bush Hager said in the episode, to which her co-host Hoda Kotb, 59, responded, "Of course. You know what it is now though. If your man is takable and if the girl wants to take him…"
"Take him," Bush Hager joked, referencing one of her own relationships that seemingly didn't end well. "If we were going to record our own 'Jolene,' it’d be like, 'Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/Go ahead and take that stupid man.'"
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Says She 'Sometimes' Likes When Women Flirt with Her Husband
"I didn’t end up with the man that Jolene tried to take because he was takable and I should have just known when he kissed the person in front of me... just to let him go," she said. "Let him go!"
"Right in front of me," she added, demonstrating how blatant the kiss was. "Here I am, there they are. Go! Take him!"
"I think you’re right," Kotb added. "When you’re trying to desperately hang on to someone…"
"And he wants to go with Jolene? Go!" Bush Hager responded. "Had I let him go then, I would have prevented a lot of issues."
Bush Hager did not end up with that "stupid man" in the long run — she's now married to Henry Chase Hager, with whom she shares kids Mila, 10, Poppy, 8, and Hal, 4. In fact, in another recent Today discussion about relationships, she revealed she sometimes likes it when other women flirt with her husband these days.
“This may be weird, but sometimes I like it when people flirt with Henry," the former first daughter said in a previous episode.
Asked why, Bush Hager said: "I don't know, I’m just like, ‘Baby girls still got it!'" adding: "Because I am very secure in our relationship.”
"So I'm like, 'Oh, there you are,'" she added.
Related: Jenna Bush Hager Accidentally Calls Husband Henry Hager 'Daddy' on TV
Still, the daughter of former President George W. Bush admitted that there's a fine line, and she wouldn't want Henry flirting back with anyone who gave him attention.
"If it's a very small amount [of flirting], I find it attractive," she said. "He wouldn't do it a lot."
"Jolenes" have been a topic of discussion since the release of Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" album on Friday, which includes a reimagining of the original story from Parton's song.
On Friday, Parton celebrated the new track on social media, writing in a post: "Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!"
Related: Breaking Down the Differences Between Dolly Parton's 'Jolene' and Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter Version
On Beyoncé's version of the song, she includes an introduction from Parton herself. While the track remains true to Parton's melody, she put her own spin on the lyrics by taking a different, less vulnerable approach to calling out "Jolene."
"Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/I’m warning you, don’t come for my man/Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene/Don’t take the chance because you think you can," Beyoncé sings.
"You’re beautiful beyond compare/Takes more than beauty and seductive stares/To come between a family and a happy man," she continues, switching up the lyrics even more. "Jolene, I’m a woman too/Thе games you play are nothing new/So you don’t want no hеat with me, Jolene."
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