Jenna Bush Hager opened up about her defiant choice to remain true to her voice on-air.
During a segment on the Today show on May 28, Jenna, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin and journalist Joe Fryer spoke about "The Comeback of Local Accents," which showcased reporters who recently went viral due to their distinctive accents.
Craig joked: "You've got a pretty pronounced accent," as Jenna replied: "Says the guy from South Carolina."
Craig responded: "Fair. Fair, but I love it. I think that's one of my favorite parts about you."
© Getty ImagesJenna's voice
Jenna got candid about how the way she talks was once perceived on the NBC show when she first joined.
She recalled: "Somebody told me early on to get rid of the 'y'alls.' Somebody here – who works here, and I was like 'no thank you,'" as she made a disgusted face.
Savannah commented: "Clearly you did not listen to that, and actually now we all say 'y'all,' and I'm from Arizona – where did that come from?"
She added: "It's fun – the different [accents]. My grandmother was from Kentucky. She said 'warsh' instead of 'wash.'"
Craig shared: "I know 'warsh.' There was a lot of 'reckons' [too]." Do you find yourself when you go home, after you're there for a day or two [the accent comes back]?"
© Getty ImagesJenna interjected: "We were talking about this – one margarita and a little bit of queso and all of a sudden..."
Craig agreed, adding: "A couple hours in, it's 'y'all' and everything."
Once it was time for Al Roker's weather report, Craig inquired about what an accent from Queens sounds like.
Al joked: "For those of us of a certain age, when you went to college and [are] in broadcasting, they wanted you to have a general American accent."
Savannah asked: "Can you channel the Queens [accent]?"
© Getty ImagesAl comically replied: "I can't anymore. They've beaten it out of me."
Craig interjected: "Wait a minute. You can't? [After] all the impressions," as Al admitted: "I lost it. I lost it…Get me over to St. Albans. I'll get back there."
Jenna's childhood
Jenna is originally from Dallas, Texas and when her father George W. Bush won the election for the Governor of Texas, the family moved to Houston.
When he became President of the United States, she stayed in the region and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she obtained a degree in English in 2004.
© InstagramFive years later, Jenna became a contributor and co-anchor at Today in New York City.
The-mother-of-three previously joked on Today with Hoda & Jenna that to have her children preserve their southern accents despite being born in New York, she planned to "just put a little recording when they sleep, not in their ears because I'd hate to damage them, [that says] 'y'all, y'all, y'all.'"
