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Jenna Bush Hager is known for speaking her mind on Today With Hoda & Jenna, but even her co-host Hoda Kotb was shocked when she openly criticized Jake Gyllenhaal‘s earnest Saturday Night Live spoof of Boyz II Men’s “End Of The Road.”
Gyllenhaal joked during his opening monologue that he was given the honor of hosting the Season 49 finale “after a lot of people said no.” He then belted a ballad about the A-list celebs who turned down the chance to host before he was even considered, including Zendaya, Pedro Pascal, and Ryan Gosling.
On Today, Kotb praised the comedic performance, saying it was “brilliant!” However, Bush Hager was more impressed by the song he chose to spoof. “I didn’t know it was to Boyz II Men!” she said.
“I didn’t know he could sing like that, did you?” Kotb asked her. “Where’s that been!”
But Bush Hager wasn’t so impressed with the performance – and she wasn’t about to fake it for television, either. “I don’t know he’s that good, do you?” she said to Kotb, who gasped in response. Even the Today stage crew appeared shocked as laughs could be heard from behind the camera. She then began to walk back her remark, saying, “No, I don’t mean that mean!”
Kotb stood by Gyllenhaal’s performance. “No, he’s really good!”
“I mean, was he really?” Bush Hager said in response. “I mean, he’s better than me, but I’m just saying. It was the words that were funny, right?”
But she later apologized for making the remark. “Sorry, sometimes things pop completely out of my mouth,” she told Kotb.
These Today hosts know a thing or two about singing. They released a Christmas single during the holidays after working with a vocal coach, titled “A Carefree Christmas With Hoda & Jenna.”
Bush Hager hyped up the single so much she compared it to Taylor Swift’s album releases.
“Think when ‘Anti-Hero’ got put out with Taylor real big and real small having a little tea, think that!” she said.
Today with Hoda & Jenna airs on weekdays at 10/9c on NBC.
