When Hoda Kotb announced her decision to step away from the Today show, it certainly caused shockwaves. Coming off that news shared on September 26, could Savannah Guthrie be next to step away from NBC’s morning flagship?
The fan favorite host appeared to be hinting that changes to her life may be coming when she spoke with Us Weekly at the Project Healthy Minds 2nd Annual World Mental Health Day Gala in NYC on October 10. When talking about her co-anchor she described their relationship saying, “We’re dear friends and we have a lot of similarities. The 52-year-old went on to say, “We’re basically in the same phase of life.”
Given the shakeup that Kotb’s upcoming exit has prompted, NBC will likely not want Savannah to follow. A source for Page Six went as far as to say, “She is the beating heart of Today. There is so much support for her.” Although they did go on to admit, “there was chatter that Savannah was planning her own exit” for 2025.” They also speculated that having her colleague do it, “has made that all but impossible.”
A source reportedly told The Daily Mail that “Savannah’s contract is coming up next year and they want to keep her and will be doing anything they can to continue their relationship with Savannah as a means of not overhauling everything.”
Guthrie spoke to Page Six about how much she’ll miss Kotb sitting next to her every weekday morning. The veteran broadcast journalist was feeling all the emotions about her friend leaving the post. “It’s complicated because it’s, like, I’m so happy for her and I’m so proud of her as her friend because she’s following her heart and it’s a big bode of confidence in herself and her future not because she knows what it will be but because she believes in herself and she trusts her gut.” At the same time, she went on to say, “As her friend, I love that. As her partner in the morning, I’ll miss her.”
It was in 2012 when Guthrie joined Today starting during the third hour of the program. Before that she served as a legal correspondent for the network before moving into the role of White House correspondent and then the Daily Rundown.
Kotb made it known that turning 60 and wanting to be home more for her daughters, seven-year-old Haley and four-year-old Hope, played a role in her career move. However, this doesn’t mean she is leaving the airwaves completely and retiring into the sunset.
When sitting down October 11 with People, Kotb hinted at a new project. The popular personality says she is “super excited” about it but admits, “That’s in its infancy.” She goes on to provide some additional hints saying, “It’s a whole wellness situation, and I got lit up by that just from stuff I’ve been working on and doing on myself. I’ve learned to do a bunch of different things with breath works and whatnot through friends, through Jenna [Bush Hager], through Maria [Shriver], through all these different people, and I’ve been loving it.” She looks to produce a smartphone app centering on wellness and well-being.