NEWSJenna Bush Hager Confesses She 'Snuck in' to the U.S. Open to Avoid Being Photographed: 'I Just Want to Watch Tennis'
Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones spoke about the U.S. Open.
Sept. 10 2026, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Jenna Bush Hager revealed that she "snuck in" to the U.S. Open.
The anchor opened up about the major New York City tennis tournament and her love for the sport on the September 10 episode of TODAY With Jenna and Sheinelle.
She and her co-host, Sheinelle Jones, discussed the recent rise of influencers and celebrities at the event who attend while taking glamorous pictures and generating endless content, sparking debate among the tennis community.
'Everybody Comes'
Jenna Bush Hager revealed she snuck into the U.S. Open.
"I call it the blue carpet," Jones explained. "Everybody comes."
Bush Hager said that the influx of cameras and celebrities had made her wary of the event, even though she has attended every year since college and considers herself a major fan of the sport.
"I love tennis. I play tennis. I'm hesitant this year because there's something about going to a place where it feels like you're going to be seen," she observed.
Jenna Bush Hager admitted she is hesitant to attend the U.S. Open this year.
While she has yet to attend this year's tournament, Bush Hager admitted that last year she attempted to avoid being noticed altogether.
"Last year I snuck in," she revealed. "And they were like, 'Do you want to take a picture on the carpet?' and I was like, 'If you don't care. No, thank you.'"
Jones agreed that Bush Hager is a "real fan," as opposed to an influencer who may attend the major tournament to "see and be seen."
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Jenna Bush Hager just wanted to enjoy the tennis match.
"I kind of just want to go watch tennis with my husband and another couple and have a honey deuce and call it a day," Bush Hager added. "We've become this culture and it's true even if you go out with girlfriends, are you going out to be in it, or are you going out to post that you had a wild night?"
Jones noted that it often feels like everybody who's anybody comes into town to watch matches at the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium, or at least be photographed there.
"There are so many pictures of people at the U.S. Open," she agreed. "I know if you're not in New York City, it probably feels like everybody is there. But I feel the same way and I live here."
'That's the Culture We Live in'
Jenna Bush Hager said the U.S. Open sends New York City into 'madness.'
Her counterpart chimed in that their home city often devolves into "madness" with so many people seemingly flooding into the Big Apple.
"That's the culture we live in," she explained.
Bush Hager concluded that she strived to "do things for the pleasure of doing them," rather than for the attention she might get in the press or on social media.
"Just ask yourself," she encouraged. "Am I present where I am and enjoying it or am I doing it because it feels like there's societal pressure to do it?"
