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Jenna Bush Hager Apologizes for Globes Gaffe as Al Roker Rips Backlash

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Jenna Bush Hager Pharrell
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A visibly shaken Jenna Bush Hager publicly apologized on Monday for mistakenly referring to Hidden Figures as “Hidden Fences” during NBC’s Golden Globes pre-show.

While interviewing Pharrell, who scored the period drama, the Today correspondent said, “So, you’re nominated for ‘Hidden Fences,'” which triggered a confused expression from the prolific music producer. The clip instantly went viral and a backlash quickly ensued.

Fighting back tears, Hager said on Monday’s Today show, “If I offended people, I am deeply sorry. It was a mistake… What I didn’t want to do is make anyone feel lesser than who they are. It was a mistake and I hope we can all move on.” 

Al Roker, who was seated alongside Hager as she delivered her mea culpa, defended his colleague before blasting the pile-on mentality of social media and the media itself. “Honest mistakes happen in live television,” he said. “And this culture of Twitter and people waiting to pounce on people — it’s gotta stop. It’s just ridiculous… And for the New York Times to repeat these tweets, it’s a cheap shot.”

You can watch Hager’s apology in full below, and then scroll down to check out the inciting incident itself.

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