Savannah Guthrie opened up in an emotional chat with Jenna Bush Hager on TODAY about juggling her return to work with the daily heartache over her mom, Nancy Guthrie, who’s been missing.
During the fourth hour of TODAY on June 8, Savannah and Jenna shared a heartfelt moment, discussing the challenges Savannah has faced since her comeback on April 6. Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home in Arizona on January 31, with authorities believing she was abducted. She’s still unaccounted for.
“It’s really hard to come back,” Savannah said tearfully while guest co-hosting the fourth hour. “I’ve been trying so hard to hold it together, and I promise I will.”
She expressed deep gratitude for the support from her colleagues on TODAY and the entire team behind the scenes.
“I’m happy to be back,” she shared. “These two hours of my day — it’s not that I’m not thinking about it, because I am — but it gives me something to do. It brings me a lot of joy to be with everyone. But no, it’s definitely not easy.”
Jenna expressed her hope that being on TODAY has given Savannah a much-needed “spark.”
“It is. It’s a little respite,” Savannah replied. “And you are my family. Honestly, if I had any other job, I don’t think I would’ve even tried to come back. I just felt like, what else should I do? My mom would’ve said, ‘Honey, just keep going, just keep going.’ And so, I am.”
Savannah admitted she wasn’t sure if she was emotionally ready to co-host TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle just two months after returning.
“To do the job, I gotta keep it together, pull it together,” she said, acknowledging how tough it would be to talk with Jenna in that setting.
“It’s hard when you’re with your best friend to not be real. You’ve asked me before if I’m ready. But I couldn’t look at you, in this kind of setting, where we talk about life, and not tell the truth about my life,” she explained.
“I know people might wonder, ‘What’s going on? How is she doing that job? Is she not thinking about it, did she forget?’” Savannah continued. “No, never. Never.”
Jenna reassured Savannah that her TODAY family will always be there for her during this tough time.
“We still need everybody’s prayers. We still wish someone would call and say what they know,” Savannah said.
She also shared a line from the Bible that has provided her with comfort.
“There’s a part of it that says, ‘You’ll walk and not grow faint,’” she said. “This sermon I read talked about how in life, just walking and not growing faint is about as good as it gets.
“And that’s what I feel like I’m doing,” she continued. “I’m trying to walk and not grow faint, and it’s a gift from God that I can do so. But it’s always with me. I cry every morning on the way to work, and I cry every evening on the way home.”
Savannah expressed her gratitude for TODAY being such a “beautiful, joyful, and supportive place” and wants to show her two kids that it’s possible to balance the pain of her mother’s disappearance with the happiness she finds on the show.