Back in 2008, a young Savannah Guthrie was working as a White House correspondent for NBC when Today sent her to Crawford, Texas, to cover Jenna Bush Hager’s wedding to her now-husband, Henry. “I was outside with fake hay bales,” Guthrie recalls with a giggle, confessing that she had very little intel on the couple or the event. “[I was] reporting about Jenna and Henry with no information. We’ve watched it back together and laughed,” she adds. “Jenna’s like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you didn’t know anything!’”
The Arizona native, 53, never imagined that some 16 years later, she’d be working with Hager — whom she calls “one of her closest friends” — or that she’d be a coanchor on TV’s most popular morning show. “I still have ‘pinch me’ moments,” says the mom of two (she shares daughter Vale, 10, and son Charley, 8, with her husband of nearly 11 years, consultant Michael Feldman). “Most days, when I walk in and see the plaza all lit up, I can’t believe it’s me. I grew up watching these shows; Katie Couric was my idol. I was just a kid from Tucson with no ins or connections. I know how improbable and miraculous it is that I’m here.”
The busy journalist took some time out of her hectic schedule to talk to Us about her new children’s book, Mostly What God Does is Love You (a follow-up to her bestselling 2024 collection of essays, Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere), the recent departure of her longtime coanchor Hoda Kotb and why she’ll never write a memoir.
How does it feel to be one of the most powerful women in television?
This isn’t false modesty, but I really don’t believe that. But I do feel like one of the luckiest women in TV. I think our show is relevant and important, and I get to be a custodian of that for a moment. I like being part of something that matters. I’m biased, but Today is the best place to work in TV. It’s joyous, it’s endlessly interesting and I love the people I work with.
Do you feel a sense of responsibility sitting in that chair every morning?
Definitely. You’re standing on the shoulders of people who came before you, including Barbara Walters, who was one of the first female broadcasters. She broke barriers. Hoda and I used to talk about it all the time. Jane Pauley, Katie and Ann [Curry] and all of these people — we’re so lucky to get to follow in their footsteps. So yes, it’s a huge responsibility.
Do you still get nervous on the job?
I don’t get nervous when I sit down and the lights come on and [it’s] “Let’s go.” I do get anxious about big interviews. If I have a really big one, my husband’s like, “Oh my gosh, steer clear.” He’s sliding food under the door and I’ve got all my papers laid out.
Savannah Guthrie wasn’t surprised by cohost Hoda Kotb‘s decision to leave the Today show. “Hoda and I have had this discussion for years and years,” Guthrie, 52, exclusively told Us Weekly at Project Healthy Minds 2nd Annual World Mental Health Day Gala at Spring Studios in New York City on Thursday, October 10. “We’re dear […]
What’s a particular interview that made you feel that way?
I [recently] did one with Bill Gates, and there’s just a lot you could talk to him about, and we only have seven minutes. You don’t know what you’re going to get. You can have your plan, and then [it] runs right into a real human being.
How hard is it to get people to open up?
There are topics people want to talk about and some that they don’t. Any interview where I feel like they want to dodge [a question], that’s anxiety producing. I find myself in these confrontational moments a fair bit, especially with politicians. I myself am quite nonconfrontational. I don’t like it at all. But, in that moment, the job is more important. I’m here. I’m supposed to get the answer.
You’ve been on the show for nearly 13 years. What are some highlights?
Covering the White House and the State of the Union, interviewing presidents and also anchoring election night. There’s no kid who went to journalism school who doesn’t aspire to that and get that rush. [Also] I was born in Australia. We lived there for two years, but I had no memory of it. Today sent me back with my mom and I got to see it for the first time. The producers found the hospital and the room I was born in.
Do you ever feel like, “I can’t believe this is my life?”
I really do. By the way, I was a terrible high school student. I barely attended. I graduated with the most average grades. There was nothing about me that was like, “Oh, this one’s going places.” So, I know how it started.
The whole Today crew seems like a big family. What role do you play?
I probably have a big sister vibe. Carson [Daly] is my mischievous little brother and Craig [Melvin] is the cool brother who explains what’s going on with the game and has big opinions. We all know Al [Roker] is the wild uncle. Hoda was certainly our cheerleader.
Hoda left in January. Do you remember when she told you her decision?
I had a wedding overseas, and she called me. I said to my husband, “Hoda wants to call me, and she knows I’m at the airport. This can’t be good.” I kind of had a feeling that it could be that.
News of Hoda Kotb’s Today show exit is bittersweet for her cohosts. “I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old because I started thinking about that decade, like, what does that decade mean? What does it hold? What’s it gonna have for me?” Kotb, […]
How do you feel about her being gone?
I’m heartbroken. But I’m also thrilled for her and proud of her. That is so gutsy to leave something you love at the height of your excellence and say, “I’m dreaming this bigger dream for myself.” She was like, “I turned 60 and sure, I could do this wonderful thing with one hand tied behind my back for another 10 years,” but she said, “I’m going to take a risk.” Lucky [for] us that the perfect person was right there waiting in the wings. [Craig] has stepped into the role seamlessly.
Do you think Hoda misses it?
I texted her [recently] and was like, “Are you still getting up at this hour?” And she writes back, “Yes.” I bet she misses all of us, but she’s really happy.
Did her leaving spark anything for you as far as your future on Today?
What I know now is that I have the best job with the best people, both on camera and behind the scenes. We’re doing important work and [it’s] fun. Who knows what the future holds? I’m open, but I’m pretty darn happy.
You went to law school. Do you ever think about going back into that field, or even into politics?
Heck no! And if I ever say that I am, please show me this and then throw me in front of a moving train. [Laughs.]
You and Jenna have become very close. Tell Us about your friendship.
We were neighbors first. We literally lived next door to each other, and our kids went to the same school. We had this precious time of being in and out of each other’s houses every day. Her little boy [Hal, 5] is my godson, and our husbands are buddies and we go on trips together. It’s been just a wonderful surprise of life.
Jenna told Us that she’s gotten in trouble with Henry for revealing too much about him on the show.
He’s a super good sport about it. If I was on [Today with Jenna & Friends], I’d probably be saying all kinds of things about my husband! We don’t do as much talking about our personal lives on our show. [Michael] doesn’t love when I talk about his snoring. He rolls his eyes. Now my kids are old enough that [they could] hear from a friend, “Oh, your mom said this about you,” so I try to be careful — my daughter’s at an age where everything is embarrassing. My mere existence is mortifying.
What inspired you to write your children’s book?
I have little kids, and I’ve read a lot of books late into the night, and I thought, “This is a sweet, gentle book with a message that we all need to hear.” I imagine that a tired mom might read it to her child or that a child might love thinking about being so small and God being so big, but still loving him or her.
Do you have a favorite line from it?
One of them is, “He is big and you are small but never too small for him.”
How important is faith to your family?
I want my kids to have a relationship with God. I know how much it’s meant to me, especially as a mom. You’re not always going to be able to protect your babies. [I want them to know] God will always be there. I don’t force religion on my kids. I come from a multifaith family; my husband is Jewish. But I do think it’s my responsibility to bring God into the conversation. So yes, we go to church, and yes, this is what Mommy believes, and one day, they’ll make their own choices.
These days, do you feel you’ve found a way to balance work and parenthood?
Yes and no. Talk to me on a Sunday afternoon, and the answer is no — and I’m probably screaming “no!” because there are moments when we’re completely overwhelmed. I don’t have it as a goal to have it all perfectly in balance because I know that can’t happen. Sometimes I feel out of whack when I’m working really hard, and that has a lot of my focus; then, there are times when I can downshift at work, and I’m all in with the kids. But I do feel good about the constant presence and the rhythms of life right now.
Do you ever experience mom guilt?
All the time. I wish it didn’t have to be this way, but for me, it’s part and parcel of being a mom. “Should I have spent more time [with them]?” or “Did I get frustrated too fast?” or “Should I be stricter because now they don’t want to eat anything but beige food?” I don’t want my kids to be spoiled. But how about we reframe it, and instead of shaming ourselves, we say it’s part of being intentional and conscientious?
Yes!
I’m going with that. It’s [about] caring and thinking, “How could I improve? How could I be a better mom? How can I make sure I’m shaping these kids to be beautiful, generous, loving, little productive members of society?” I don’t care if they go to a great college or make a lot of money. I want them to know their purpose and I want them to be kind, good humans. The world needs more of those.
Nathan Congleton/NBC Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager formed a strong bond both on and off the small screen. Kotb and Bush Hager joined NBC’s Today in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and went on to cohost the show’s fourth hour together following Kathie Lee Gifford’s 2019 exit. For over five years, the duo made fans […]
You’ve opened up about becoming a mom later in life. Did you ever feel like the clock was going to run out?
I felt that way for a long, long time. When I was 36, I got divorced. I wasn’t married long. That was a huge disappointment. I was pretty sure that I had lost my opportunity and more or less ruined my life. All I ever really wanted was to fall in love, be a mom and have a family. I don’t know if it’s acceptable to admit these days, but that’s kind of how I was. I wanted to do something important and meaningful, but I really wanted a family.
What advice would you give to women who feel like the clock is ticking?
You just have to trust that things tend to happen at the right time and maybe not on your schedule. I could never tell someone, “You’ll get to have babies too at 44.” That was a miracle, and I recognize that. But why not hope? Why not have faith? In Spanish, the word for wait and hope is the same. And I think a lot about how waiting and hoping are kind of the same thing. If you can find it within you to spend that time waiting with joy and expectation — even if you don’t get every single thing you want — you will have spent your time wisely.
Would you ever write a memoir?
First of all, I’m not even that interested in my own life. [Laughs.] Second of all, I really don’t remember! I remember broad strokes, but the running joke on Today is that a big celebrity will come on and I’d say to Hoda or Craig, “I wonder what they’re like, I never met them.” And then they’ll play some tape and it’s like, “Oh, you sat down and did a long interview with them.” It’s a blur.
What would you like your Today legacy to be?
I’ve never been asked that question. It’s exciting — and it also means I’m old! [Laughs.] I don’t know. I hope it’s taking good care of the show in the moments that I got to have my hands on it.
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