Barbara Bush Wants to Die at the Exact ‘Same Time’ as Twin Sister Jenna Bush Hager

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 profiled 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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Reflecting on their childhood as the daughters of former President George W. Bush, 79, and his wife, Laura Bush, 78, Barbara said in the book that her sister was “the partner who was always next to me,” noting that they were “constantly together.”

“We tried to fit in the world in a way that would be stable for both of us,” Barbara, who is one minute older than Jenna, told Roberts.

Because of their upbringing, the sisters hope to live together when they’re older and to die together too.

“And frankly, I don’t mean to be morbid, but I hope we die at the same time,” said Barbara. “I’ve never known the world without Jenna in it, and I would be devastated to be in it without her.”

Jenna, who cohosts NBC’s Today with Jenna and Friends, said that writing books about sisterhood, including 2017’s Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life, made talking about death easier.

“It’s an otherworldly connection,” explained Barbara. “We were in the womb together. It feels primal in some ways.”

Speaking about their close relationship, Jenna shared in a September 2024 interview with PEOPLE that “having a twin really has informed every decision I’ve ever made.” 

The Today with Jenna & Friends co-host credited her sister as the reason for many of her successes, including her role as a television host.

“She makes me feel brave and empowered, because she was my first audience,” Jenna said. “She was the first hand I held. And so I always felt supported, even when we were teens, and we threw shoes at each other’s head.”

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Sisters Loved and Treasured: Stories of Unbreakable Bonds is on bookshelves now.
It features over 50 personal accounts about sisterhood from the likes of Viola Davis, Arianna Huffington, Octavia Spencer and many more.