Jenna Jacobs McPartland
ON THE RECORD · 5 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“Ari was an incredibly joyful person who cherished his life. I made a conscious choice to honour him by living as joyfully as I can. It’s not always easy. I still cry pretty frequently. If there’s a movie with a building getting blown up, or if I’m reading a book and they casually mention ‘post 9-11 this’ or whatever, it catches me off guard. The grief finds a place to live in the heart, and you visit it.”
Jenna Jacobs McPartland · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
McPartland spoke from Fairfield, Connecticut, about choosing to live joyfully in honor of her late husband Ariel Jacobs.
“I called his office to say, ‘Hey, turn on the TV. Do you guys know what’s going on?’ His assistant said, ‘Oh my God, Jenna, he’s there.’ The whole world disappeared and there was this sort of hollow collapsing feeling.”
Jenna Jacobs McPartland · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
McPartland described learning that her husband was at the World Trade Center when the attacks occurred.
“I was cleaning the bathroom and watching the Today show in the background and nine months pregnant,”
Jenna Jacobs McPartland · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
McPartland recalled where she was and what she was doing when the 9/11 attacks began.
“It makes me incredibly sad and bordering on angry that the death of my husband has been invoked to cause more violence. It is the othering of people that got him killed in the first place and, when we Americans fail to learn that lesson and choose collectively as a nation to other people, whether it’s immigrants or other nations, that is a deepening of that tragedy that is sickening and unfathomable to me.”
Jenna Jacobs McPartland · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
McPartland expressed sadness and anger that her husband's death has been invoked to justify further violence.
“I think they were showing ‘Today throws a wedding’ when the news broke in.”
Jenna Jacobs McPartland · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11
McPartland recalled the Today show segment that was airing when news of the attacks broke in.