Jenna Bush Hager is opening up about some behind-the-scenes rules when it came to hosting Today With Hoda & Jenna. In particular, NBC blocked her from saying a common Southern slang saying, and as an Alabama native, I can't help but feel a bit offended.
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Bush Hager joined the show as a correspondent in 2009. NBC wouldn't let her say the phrase y'all because it wasn't considered for the whole country. They put a ban on the phrase and other similar Southern slang. Ain't that just a shame?
"[They were like], 'Hey, y'all,' isn't for the whole country.' And I was like, 'Well, but it's who I am,'" Bush Hager said. "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 Bush Hager Shamed
Bush Hager is a native of Texas where she was born and raised. She's also the daughter of former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
"When they said, 'You can't say y'all,' in my gut, I was like, 'But why? We have to pretend to be news people?' " she continued. "Because whenever you pretend to be a news person, I felt like I was acting. And we all know from [our 'Titanic' Halloween skit] I'm not a great actor. When you try to pretend you're somebody else, it feels crazy."
It often seems like there's a double standard when it comes to the South. Common phrases and sayings are barred, but other cultures and colloquialisms are welcomed with open arms. I lived in New York City where people would often make fun of my accent and remind me I'm not from around there on a weekly basis.
I was basically shamed because of where I was from and where I grew up. It's hard to see it happen on a national stage with Bush. She was forced to conform to a standard rather than be embraced.
Hoda Kotb supported her friend, saying, "If you don't fit, they want you to wear something a certain way, cut your hair a certain way, speak a certain way. I know when you came to the network, too, it's like, 'Welcome in, but you have to change.'"
It took them both a long time to learn to be themselves on the show.
"It took me longer than, I think, it took you," she said.
