Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager have joined the debate about Olivia Culpo’s wedding dress.

The 32-year-old former Miss Universe winner made controversial headlines after she tied the knot with NFL star Christian McCaffrey in a simple Dolce & Gabbana dress. The wedding, which took place in Rhode Island, was reported by fashion in an extensive series showcasing her various bridal looks.

Culpo walked down the aisle in a long-sleeved white dress with a round neckline. In conversation with fashionthe model said, “I didn’t want it to convey sex in any way.” However, when photos of her wedding dress circulated online, some netizens believed that Culpo’s minimalist makeup and simple dress gave off “pick-me vibes” – a term used for a girl or woman seeking male validation.

“I’ve been a bridal designer for four years now and I’ve never said this before, but I don’t like this wedding dress,” said wedding stylist Kennedy Bingham, also known as Gown Eyed Girl, in a viral TikTok video. The content creator further claimed that the “way (Culpo) talked about (her dress)” “promoted this idea of ​​what she thinks all brides should look like,” and claimed that Culpo’s comments about the dress seemed to be “marketing and promoting this conservative agenda.”

Meanwhile, content creator Jessica Weslie Arena also pointed out Culpo’s minimalist makeup look for her wedding, which didn’t use mascara, lip liner, or eyebrow makeup. “For fashion to even bring these things up just gave me such weird vibes,” Arena said in a separate video. “Because obviously Olivia Culpo did something to not wear mascara, to not wear lip liner, to not wear a pencil for her eyebrows. Be honest, fashion. Stop acting like I’m being chosen.”

Although Culpo has since responded to some of the backlash, that didn’t stop NBC co-hosts Kotb and Bush Hager from defending the model. During the July 9 broadcast of Today with Hoda & JennaThe co-hosts described Culpo’s “classic” bridal look as “stunning and beautiful.”

“We think she looks beautiful,” Bush Hager said Tuesday, and Kotb chimed in: “I don’t like reading negative comments from trolls, I really don’t. How about this?”

Bush Hager then asked why online users think they are “allowed to comment on how (Culpo) is dressed at her own wedding.” “One of the most beautiful women in the world!” Kotb said of the former Miss Universe, while Bush Hager jokingly added, “People have been in their basement saying she’s too covered up. She can’t win.”

The co-hosts also noted that Culpo later “let go and had fun” during the wedding reception when she wore two more bridal outfits. For cocktail hour – which took place at Ocean House, a historic resort in Watch Hill, Rhode Island – Culpo donned an off-the-shoulder chiffon dress with a high waist and a handmade silk flower at the neckline, also designed by Dolce and Gabbana.

Her third and final bridal outfit consisted of a silk bodysuit with a small cage skirt, both adorned with handmade organza flowers and accessorized with tulle gloves and a satin flower necklace.

“Everything is beautiful, live your life,” Kotb concluded.

In response to the online backlash, both Culpo and her newlywed husband took to social media to protest the negative comments about her wedding dress.

“Wow what an absolutely evil person you are. I hope no one ever puts you down like that because it is extremely hurtful. I love this dress and it was everything I wanted and more,” the model commented on Bingham’s video last week.

Her husband, the 28-year-old San Francisco 49ers player, also defended his wife in the comments section of Bingham’s post. “What an evil thing to post online. I hope you can find joy and peace in the world like my beautiful wife,” McCaffrey said.

Meanwhile, Arena calls Culpo a “pick-me” girl in a TikTok video because she fashion She had “gone without mascara, lip liner and eyebrow makeup,” commented the former beauty pageant winner: “It was an interview… they asked me what my makeup was like…”

Culpo and McCaffrey tied the knot on June 29 at Watch Hill Chapel in Culpo’s home state of Rhode Island. The ceremony was a star-studded event that included Prince Constantine Alexios of Greece and Denmark, Victoria’s Secret model Devon Windsor and several NFL players.

Accordingly fashionHer custom Dolce and Gabbana wedding dress took months to design. In addition to the simple neckline, long sleeves and a 15-foot lace veil, the ball gown also featured a puffy skirt with a buttoned back and a dropped waist. “I wanted it to feel effortless and like it was flattering me and not overwhelming me,” Culpo explained. “It’s so beautiful and simple.”

The couple sparked romance rumors in 2019 and announced their engagement in April 2023.