The subject of one of Jenna Bush Hager‘s latest Today With Jenna & Friends conversations is not happy with her on-air comments.
Earlier this month, Bush Hager and her Jenna & Friends guest host Dwyane Wade weighed in on social media star Tyler Moore advocating for dads to wear Speedos as a way to spread body positivity.
During a “The Internet’s Divided” segment on the July 9 episode of Jenna & Friends, Bush Hager agreed with Wade’s opinion that some men should stick to longer swim trunks. “If my husband brought out a Speedo, I’d be shocked. And by the way, a man thigh?” she said, to which Wade added, “A hairy man thigh? Nobody want to see that.”
Referring to Moore, Bush Hager noted, “Not every dad looks like that model dad that we just put on TV.”
Nearly two weeks after the segment aired on the NBC morning show, Moore is speaking out against Bush Hager. “Last week, my decision to wear a Speedo while lap swimming and open water swimming was discussed on ‘The Today Show,’” he wrote in a Sunday, July 20, Threads post. “During the segment, Jenna Bush Hager commented, ‘No one wants to see hairy man thighs,’ and followed up by saying, ‘Not every dad looks like that model dad,’ referring to a photo of me in the suit.”
He continued, “It’s a surreal experience to have your body publicly discussed and shamed on national television.”
Fans supported Moore in the post’s responses, with one user writing, “Well that sucks. My friend wore a speedo in vacation in Europe and no one batted an eye. This issue is more of an American one.”
“That is horrible! They should be ashamed of that. We know better these days!” another person wrote, while a different user posted, “Ugh. 😔 in case no one else has said it, your body doesn’t exist to be looked at. You deserve to go to the pool and be focused on your swimming, not on whether or not people find themselves attracted to how your body looks. And certainly not concerned with someone taking a photo and discussing it on television.”
Some Threads users pointed out that Moore’s reaction to comments made about his body is something many women feel on a regular basis.
“And yet women have been subjected to this kind of public discussion and shaming for how long now?” one fan questioned. “Hope this fosters a bit of empathy and introspection on your part and for those who do it to women every single day without batting an eye.” (See photos of Moore in his Speedos in the post below.)
Moore replied to the user, writing, “And vice versa.”
Moore previously appeared on the fourth hour of Today on January 8 to show Bush Hager and Hoda Kotb home organization and cleaning tips.
Today With Jenna & Friends, Weekdays, 10 a.m. ET, NBC