Jenna Bush Hager Pretends To Be Someone Else On ‘Today’
Jenna Bush Hager has been a popular addition to The Today Show. She has worked side-by-side with Hoda Kotb and is only one month away from having the show to herself with rotating guests in Hoda’s place. However, Jenna mentioned that she had to change who she was when she took the job on NBC.
Here is why Jenna said it is hard to pretend to be someone she’s not when working on Today.
Jenna Bush Hager Given A ‘Rule’ To Not Say One Word
Jenna Bush Hager came onto The Today Show and quickly became a major star for the network. However, she said that when NBC hired her, they said she had to change how she spoke. She said this started when she was hired as a correspondent in 2009. The network completely banned her from saying something she had said her entire life.
Jenna was talking to her new bosses, and they caught onto something she always said. It was clear this was dialogue from where she is from, but they told her she couldn’t use the word “y’all” when speaking on the air.
“[They were like], ‘Hey, y’all,’ isn’t for the whole country,’” Jenna said (via PEOPLE). “And I was like, ‘Well, but it’s who I am.’ It’s so weird, and this happens in life too. If you have friends and then, all of a sudden, you’re acting not who you are, and you’re like, ‘Wait,’ something in your gut feels wrong.”
Jenna said that she can’t say “y’all” on TV, and she doesn’t understand why. It doesn’t feel right to her. “We have to pretend to be news people?’” Jenna said. “Whenever you pretend to be a news person, I felt like I was acting. And we all know … I’m not a great actor. When you try to pretend you’re somebody else, it feels crazy.”
Hoda Kotb Said It Is More Than Words That The Network Changes
Hoda Kotb said this is all true. She also said that networks like NBC try to make even more changes when hiring people. Hoda said the feeling is like, “Welcome in, but you have to change.” This includes changing a person’s looks.
“If you don’t fit, they want you to wear something a certain way, cut your hair a certain way, speak a certain way,” Hoda said. She repeated what Jenna said and revealed that the network wants its news people to pretend to be something they aren’t for the public.
After all the forced changes, Hoda said it took her a long time to become herself again. She credited Jenna for getting her own self back quicker than she did.
What are your thoughts on The Today Show asking its anchors to pretend to be something they aren’t on the air? Let us know in the comments below.
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