What you need to know
Barbara Bush knows exactly when she wants to die – at the same time as her twin sister, Jenna Bush Hager.
Barbara and Jenna, both 43, were featured in ABC News correspondent and 20/20 co-host Deborah Roberts’ new book Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds.
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In her book, Barbara recalled her childhood as the daughter of former President George W. Bush, 79, and his wife Laura Bush, 78, and said her sister was her “always partner” and “always with me.”
“We tried to fit into the world in a way that was stable for both of us,” Barbara, who is one minute older than Jenna, told Roberts.
Because of their upbringing, the sisters want to live and die together when they grow up.
“Frankly, I don’t mean to be morbid, but I hope we all die at the same time,” Barbara said. “I’ve never known a world without Jenna, and I would be shocked to find a world without her.”
Jenna, who co-hosts NBC’s “Today with Jenna & Friends,” said writing books about sisterhood, including 2017’s “Sisters First: Stories from a Wild and Wonderful Life,” made it easier for her to talk about death.
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“It’s an otherworldly connection,” Barbara explained. “We lived together in the womb. It feels primal in a way.”
In a September 2024 interview with PEOPLE, Jenna spoke about their close relationship, saying, “Having twins has really influenced every decision I’ve ever made.”
The Today with Jenna & Friends co-host admitted that she owes much of her success, including her role as a TV host, to her sister.
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“I feel like she gave me courage and strength because she was my first audience,” Jenna said. “She was the first hand I ever held. So even when we were teenagers, we always felt supported and we would throw shoes at each other’s heads.”
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Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds is on your bookshelf now.
It features more than 50 personal accounts of sisterhood, including Viola Davis, Arianna Huffington, and Octavia Spencer.
