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TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager is an open book and is known for sharing all of who she is. Now Jenna will bring intimate, inspiring and entertaining conversations with celebrities, experts, friends, authors, and book lovers to a wider audience in her new podcast, Open Book with Jenna. Each week, she’s joined by a guest who shares candid stories about their life, current projects, and reveals how a favorite read or a first book may have influenced their path. Join Jenna as she continues her mission to connect people, create meaningful conversations, and share her love of storytelling.
32 Episodes
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As 2024 comes to an end, we’re looking back at some of our favorite books, and literary trends from the year. Jenna Bush Hager sits down with her two friends, authors, and book lovers, Emma Straub and Isaac Fitzgerald. Emma and Isaac share how their families instilled their love of reading, the power of independent bookstores, and how to make reading a habit in the New Year. They also answer questions from Read with Jenna readers and share their recommendations for what to read in 2025.
Jamie Lee Curtis is a Hollywood legend, an Oscar & Emmy Award winning actor, and a New York Times Bestselling Author. Jamie joins Jenna Bush Hager to discuss her new show “The Sticky” and upcoming film “The Last Showgirl.” She reflects on her forty years of marriage, her path to sobriety, and what it was like growing up with famous parents Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. She also opens up about her career blossoming at the age of 66, the importance of women lifting each other up, and the books that changed her life.
2Riley Keough is an Emmy nominated actress and producer, starring in hit shows like “Daisy Jones and the Six.” She’s also part of one of the most famous families in American Pop culture. Her mother Lisa Marie Presley asked her to help her write her memoir, then weeks later passed away. Riley decided to finish her mother’s memoir using her notes and recordings. Riley sat down with Jenna Bush Hager to chat about what it was like to listen to her mom’s personal recordings for the first time, how she filled in the gaps of her mother's story, and what she hopes readers take away from her mother’s life. Riley opens up about her own grief, and how her mother handled grief after the loss of her father, Elvis Presley. Riley also reveals the significance of the title of the memoir ‘From Here to the Great Unknown.”
Actor and comedian Matt Rogers co-hosts the pop culture podcast "Las Culturistas” with Bowen Yang and stars in Netflix’s new dark comedy series “No Good Deed.” Matt joins Jenna Bush Hager to talk about his Prince of Christmas Tour, why he regrets not telling Mariah Carey about his prince of Christmas title, and his journey from prom king to pop culture podcaster. He also opens up about his disappointment at not getting hired on Saturday Night Live, but how writing his song “RockaFellaCenta” was a form of healing.
Jon M. Chu is a visionary director known for his blockbuster films like ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ ‘In The Heights’ and the hugely anticipated movie musical ‘Wicked.’ He sits down with Jenna Bush Hager to discuss how he welcomed his daughter on the movie’s premiere day, and what it was like to turn the lens on his own life and work in his memoir ‘Viewfinder.’ Chu also reveals how he discovered the story of “Wicked” before it became a Broadway hit and what it means to him to reimagine this iconic American story as a son of immigrants.
Keke Palmer is an Emmy Award Winning actress, singer, podcast host, and mother. She rose to prominence at the age of twelve through her breakout role in ‘Akeelah and the Bee’ and has gone on to star in more than twenty-five films. In her latest memoir ‘Master of Me’ Keke tells her own raw and intimate story. Keke sits down with Jenna Bush Hager to discuss how she navigated fame at a young age, how becoming a mother gave her clarity about her priorities in life, and how she’s embraced who she truly is rather than conforming to others expectations. She shares the powerful lessons she’s learned along the way and how she has reclaimed her story, her power, and her purpose.
Liane Moriarty is a global sensation who has written numerous best sellers including ‘Big Little Lies,’ ‘Apples Never Fall,’ and ‘The Husband's Secret.’ Jenna sits down with Liane to discuss how her dad encouraged her love of writing when she was a kid, the impact her books have had on readers, and what it was like to have several of her books adapted for television. She also reveals her next book, a ‘Big Little Lies’ sequel.
Ann Patchett is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine. Ann sat down with Jenna Bush Hager for a conversation about what inspired her latest children’s book, “The Verts: A Story of Introverts and Extroverts” and what it was like to revisit her beloved novel "Bel Canto" for the special annotated release. Ann shares how she knew she wanted to write at a very young age, the nun that inspired her love of books, and how she started the next chapter in her career by opening Parnassus Books, an independent bookstore in Nashville.
Nicholas Sparks is the king of love stories who has sold over 130 million copies worldwide. He’s a New York Times bestselling author, with twenty-four books to his name. His emotionally gripping novels have captured readers' hearts and eleven of his novels have been adapted into films. Sparks sat down with Jenna Bush Hager to discuss the inspiration for his novels, and how his journey led him to writing the bestselling book, The Notebook. They talk about his love of reading, the impact his books have had on fans , and his latest novel, Counting Miracles.
Stanley Tucci is an award winning actor, author, and dad. He’s appeared in roles such as The Devil Wears Prada, The Hunger Games, and The Lovely Bones. His latest role includes, food lover, social media star, and one of America's favorite home chefs. His latest novel ‘What I Ate in One Year’ chronicles a year’s worth of meals and allows him to reflect back on a year with family and friends. Stanley sat down with Jenna Bush Hager to share his love of food and how a viral instagram post catapulted him to a different level of fame. A lover of all things culinary, he gives readers a taste of a year in his life and reveals his favorite meal, why moving to Florence as a child was one of his most formative years, and who are some of his dream dinner guests.
Emily Henry is a New York Times & Sunday Times Bestselling author who has written five consecutive number one Bestsellers. She has been dubbed the ‘Queen of the Beach Read’ and has helped redefine the romance genre. Jenna Bush Hager sits down with Emily to discuss how she began writing fan fiction in middle school, and the teachers that encouraged her along the way. She opens up about how she first discovered the romance genre, and how she has embraced writing and reading books that bring her joy! They also chat about what it feels like to have her books adapted for the screen and the recent casting announcement for the adaptation of ‘People We Meet on Vacation.”
“The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert and his wife of more than 30 years, Evie McGee Colbert, partner on a new cookbook, “Does this Taste Funny.” Stephen and Evie sit down with Jenna Bush Hager to share their favorite family recipes and funniest memories cooking together. Stephen and Evie reveal who holds the title of ‘best chef’ and who they’d love to invite to one of their famous dinner parties. They also share why humor is the key ingredient in their marriage.
TODAY’s Jenna Bush Hager is an open book and is known for sharing all of who she is. Now Jenna will bring intimate, inspiring and entertaining conversations with celebrities, experts, friends, authors, and book lovers to a wider audience in her new podcast, Open Book with Jenna. Each week, she’s joined by a guest who shares candid stories about their life, current projects, and reveals how a favorite read or a first book may have influenced their path. Join Jenna as she continues her mission to connect people, create meaningful conversations, and share her love of storytelling.
Chris Whitaker is a New York Times bestselling author. His latest novel, All the Colors of the Dark is one of his most personal novels and is a Read with Jenna book club pick. Chris and Jenna chat in front of an audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival, where he opens up about what led him to writing, how the characters in his book were inspired by his own childhood, and how he’s transformed tragedy into triumph. They also discuss Jenna’s production company Thousand Voices producing the television series adaptation of his novel.
Colleen Hoover is a publishing phenomenon. While she didn’t necessarily set out for fame, she has achieved literary super-stardom, becoming one of the bestselling authors in the world and the top-selling author in the United States. Jenna Bush Hager sat down with Hoover at her “Book Bonanza” charity event in Texas to talk about her lifelong love of writing, and how readers have resonated with her books. We revisit their conversation from September 2023, as Hoover’s passionate and dedicated following of fans, known as “CoHorts,” flock to the theater to see the anticipated movie adaptation of her novel "It Ends With Us." The movie adaptation features Blake Lively (Lily Bloom) & Justin Baldoni (Ryle Kincaid ) and centers around the choices we must make in orderto break the patterns in our lives.
Sarah J. Maas is a New York Times bestselling author of the “Throne of Glass,” “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and “Crescent City” series. Between ages 16 and 22, she drafted a series of books ... before scrapping them all to start fresh. And then published her first book — “Throne of Glass,” a slight tweak to her original title — at the age of 26. Maas sat down with Jenna Bush Hager to discuss her newest book, “House of Flame and Shadow,” the impact BookTok had on her career, and how she balances parenting and writing. She also unpacks the joy that writing romance and fantasy brings her and what her biggest hope is for her readers.
Back in 2008, shortly after the death of his father, journalist Tim Russert, Luke Russert joined NBC News as a correspondent. He spent eight years covering elections and reporting on some of the biggest political issues of our time before suddenly resigning, after realizing he didn’t feel fulfilled. Russert then embarked on a journey of self-discovery, traveling to more than 60 countries. He documented his travels and lessons in his memoir “Look For Me There: Grieving My Father, Finding Myself”. In a touching and honest conversation with Savannah Guthrie, Russert opens up about finally realizing his purpose after a life-changing moment in Israel.Follow the ‘Read with Jenna’ podcast now to hear new episodes every week. And the fun doesn’t stop here! Want to join our Read with Jenna community of book lovers? You can find our monthly book list and sign up for our newsletter here: TODAY.com/ReadwithJenna You can also find us on Instagram on @ReadwithJenna
Raised in the rural mountains of Idaho by survivalist parents, Tara Westover never dreamed she'd be where she is today. Her memoir “Educated” tracks her route into the outside world, starting with her first step into a classroom at age 17, to getting a Ph.D. at Cambridge University, to writing a New York Times bestselling memoir. Throughout the memoir, education was the tool Westover used to broaden her perspective. Jenna Bush Hager sat down with Westover to discuss her memoir — both its content and how it changed her life — and where she’s going next.Follow the ‘Read with Jenna’ podcast now to hear new episodes every week. And the fun doesn’t stop here! Want to join our Read with Jenna community of book lovers? You can find our monthly book list and sign up for our newsletter here: TODAY.com/ReadwithJenna You can also find us on Instagram on @ReadwithJenna
In this bonus episode of Read with Jenna, Rumaan Alam, the bestselling author of "Leave the World Behind", a Read with Jenna pick, joins Hoda & Jenna with his recommendations for good books that would make great gifts to share the joy of reading this holiday season. Follow the ‘Read with Jenna’ podcast now to hear new episodes every week. And the fun doesn’t stop here! Want to join our Read with Jenna community of book lovers? You can find our monthly book list and sign up for our newsletter here: TODAY.com/ReadwithJenna You can also find us on Instagram on @ReadwithJenna
Children's book author Mo Willems never thought a pigeon wanting to drive a bus could turn into a career. But more than 20 years later, Willems is a rock star to both children and parents for his hilarious "Pigeon" book series. He has written dozens of other stories and characters that allow children to play as they are learning to read on their own. Willems sat down with Joe Fryer to talk about his famous pigeon's 20th anniversary and the other projects in store for his fans. Willems released his latest book, "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!”, this fall.Follow the ‘Read with Jenna’ podcast now to hear new episodes every week. And the fun doesn’t stop here! Want to join our Read with Jenna community of book lovers? You can find our monthly book list and sign up for our newsletter here: TODAY.com/ReadwithJenna You can also find us on Instagram on @ReadwithJenna
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