‘Today’s Jenna Bush Hager Admits She Read ’50 Shades of Grey’ – But Hid It In ‘The Economist’

Jenna Bush Hager admitted on Today that she may be a book lover, but she doesn’t often partake in the “sexy” romance trend that has recently taken over.

While discussing romance novels with her Today guest host Matt Rogers, Bush Hager was grilled about whether she ever likes to “get a little sexy” with her reading choices.

Bush Hager noted that she recently did a public appearance at a romance bookstore where she noticed the array of choices available, including a “cowboy romance.”

“How often do you get a little sexy with your reading?” Rogers asked her, before later pressing, “Did you read 50 Shades of Grey back in the day?”

“I did,” she admitted. “But an Economist was over it.”

As she and Rogers shared a laugh over her confession, Bush Hager admitted she’s “the type that sort of hides” her romance novels.

Rogers quipped, “You were hiding to maintain your JBH image! Your daytime image.”

Bush Hager, who is a known book lover thanks to her Read With Jenna book club, recently published the first novel from her Thousand Voices imprint: Conform, a new fantasy hailing from author Ariel Sullivan.

“Conform is about as sexy as I get,” Bush Hager told Rogers. “It’s sexy.”

While Bush Hager isn’t interested in reading “sexy” romances, she has previously admitted that she finds it attractive to see men read in public. So much so, she joked it “could be grounds for an affair.”

“If they’re reading something I respect, that could be grounds for an affair,” she once told Hoda Kotb on Today. She then quickly walked the joke back as she clarified, “I’m just kidding, I would never do that. I would never. Henry and I are very happy. And he reads.”

When Kotb then asked why she was becoming “defensive,” Bush Hager admitted, “Because I shouldn’t have said that, I went too far.” Oops!

Today with Jenna & Friends airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.