Awkward! Jenna Bush Hager, 40, apparently got a little too close for comfort with Daily Pop star Justin Sylvester, 35, during a cringey but playful Today show clip! During the segment, which you can SEE HERE, Justin was learning to cook a chicken dish with a guest chef, and Jenna got cozy with him in an attempt to see exactly what he was doing, putting her arm around his shoulder and patting his back. In the compelling August 10 clip, which we’ve now watched at least a dozen times, Justin then reached back and playfully pushed a giggling Jenna back in an attempt to create more space between them.
Jenna seemed unphased and moved right back up close to him again, which prompted another nudge back. She acknowledged the second gentle seeming push with a surprised expression toward the camera. The clip caused quite a stir among viewers, but Justin, who is a regular on the Today show, wasn’t actually bothered by the encounter, and in fact claims they were just having fun.
“People thought that she was invading my space, and that’s not actually the truth,” Justin said in an Instagram story on Friday, August 12, as he got a facial on camera. He also pointed out that the daughter of former president George W. Bush is “one of the nicest, most welcoming people that I’ve ever met.” “What we were doing was we were both flirting,” he said. “Well, I was flirting with the chef because he was cute, and I was pushing her out of the way so I could have a one-on-one moment with the chef.”
The extended clip, which you can view on The Shade Room‘s Instagram account here, certainly supports the narrative that Jenna may have been somewhat of a third wheel in a close interaction between Justin and the chef. They appeared to be hovering over the stovetop with the cooking as Jenna stood nearby, unsure what to do with herself.
Viewers of the viral clip weren’t necessarily convinced that Jenna meant no harm, or that Justin’s gentle push was all in good fun. “He blocked her like 3 times,” observed one viewer, while another commented, “He was like…..’don’t touch me,
MOVE!’ Like she didn’t understand from the first time she touched him.”
Other viewers weren’t concerned. “Ya’all extra!” commented a viewer alongside a row of laughing emojis.