EXCLUSIVE Savannah Guthrie, the morning show style queen: Insiders reveal what sets Today anchor apart from her rivals

Daily Mail​

7 days ago

Today show co-host Savannah Guthrie has been waking up the nation with the latest headlines from across the country and around the world for the best part of 13 years.
The accomplished broadcast journalist, 53, is onscreen every weekday from 7am ET alongside fellow presenter Craig Melvin, 46, and the rest of the Today show team, which includes the likes of Al Roker, Carson Daly, Jenna Bush Hager, Dylan Dreyer, Willie Geist, Laura Jarrett, and Sheinelle Jones.
The program has rotated and changed over the years, but Savannah has remained a constant presence.
From breaking the news of disgraced co-host Matt Lauer 's sudden departure from the show, to making history alongside Hoda Kotb as the first female pair to front the program, she is the beating heart.
So much so that a source close to the network exclusively told the Daily Mail: 'She's warm and pleasant... She's always got a smile. Everyone likes her, she rolls with the punches.'
And Savannah has also won over a legion of fans outside the studio too.
Among the plaudits is an overwhelming appreciation of her sense of style - a quality also spotted by fashion guru Liz Teich, who runs The New York Stylist.
Speaking exclusively to Daily Mail about Savannah's sartorial choices, she gushed about how her outfits are 'what set her apart from the majority of the news world.'
'Savannah's style is professional, yet approachable, has personality, and doesn't feel as tired as the expected jeweled tone shift dress that most people in news tend to gravitate towards,' Liz shared.
'She keeps it classic, yet still trend forward (never trendy), tailored, as well as isn't afraid of unexpected color or patterns.'
'Savannah's style exudes her confidence in her position on TV, as she doesn't feel the need to dress like every other anchor,' she concluded.
And as Savannah continues to thrive as NBC's new lead star, Femail has delved into her history on the Today show – including her friendships with her costars – as well as her life outside of the Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center.
Savannah has been a main fixture on the Today show since 2012, when she began her co-anchoring the program with Matt Lauer.
Together they fronted the show for five years, until November 2017 when his contract was terminated after he was reported for sexual harassment by an NBC employee.
Savannah fought back tears as she shared a statement from their NBC News boss Andrew Lack about his exit on the show at the time.
'As I'm sure you can imagine, we are devastated, and we are still processing all of this,' said the choked-up host.
'I will tell you, right now we do not know more than what I just shared with you.'
Savannah and her co-host that morning, Hoda Kotb, who became Lauer's replacement, were later seen comforting each other and sharing an on-set hug as they tried to come to terms with the news.
Despite the scandal that ripped through the program, the dust soon settled, and Savannah brought the Today show into a new era with Hoda, 60, in January 2018.
Together, they fronted the show for seven years, until January 2025 when Hoda stepped away from hosting duties to focus on raising her two young daughters, Hope and Haley.
The two, both working mothers with two young children, fast became friends – and their friendship continues to this day.
In 2022, Savannah credited Hoda with saving the Today show following Lauer's termination.
'All I know was in that moment, it felt like I could drown if Hoda hadn't reached down and grabbed my hand,' she said at an event celebrating the show at The Paley Center.
'I will always say she saved the show full stop. And holding hands with her and being like, "We're going to do this together," meant everything to me. I don't think I had the confidence by myself.'
Beside her on-screen and off-screen friendship with Hoda, Savannah is particularly close with Jenna Bush Hager.
'We clicked right away when we met in person,' Savannah previously said on the show about their bond.
'There was something sort of in our DNA that spoke to each other, and I felt like even though I was meeting her for the first time, I'd known her for many, many years,' Jenna, 43, added.
The pair grew close shortly after Savannah became co-host of the Today show in 2012.
Savannah is godmother to Jenna's youngest child, Henry Harold 'Hal' Hager, whom she welcomed with her husband in 2019.
Similarly, Jenna is godmother to Savannah's daughter Vale, who was born in August 2014.
'It's the greatest compliment that a person could receive,' Savannah gushed about being asked to be Hal's godmother.
'I know she knows what it means to me. I also wanted to just say to Jenna, you are one of my closest friends, and I am handing you my heart because my little girl is my heart.'
For the past seven months, Savannah has been hosting the Today show with Craig Melvin.
After it was announced that Craig would be stepping into the role, Savannah gave her seal of approval and called his promotion 'one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made.'
Besides her role as host, Savannah has made two television cameo appearances this year.
In January, she revealed her cameo in season two of the action thriller Netflix show, The Night Agent.
'I just act like Savannah Guthrie all day and all night,' she joked to her Today show colleagues.
'I even sleep as her. It's extremely method. I go to work as her. That's how I got into the role. I just was very method.'
The following month, Savannah popped up in Netflix drama Zero Day, starring Robert De Niro. Commenting on her role, De Niro said: 'I want to give no notes. It was very good. It was terrific.'
She previously appeared in the likes of 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Savannah is happily married to her husband Michael Feldman, whom she wed in March 2014.
This year, the couple – who share daughter Vale, 10, and son Charles, eight – celebrated their 11th wedding anniversary.
Before Michael, Savannah was briefly married to BBC News presenter Mark Orchard – although she recently stated that it 'the one thing I didn't ever want to talk about.'
Speaking on Monica Lewinsky's Reclaiming podcast on July 1, she said the end of the marriage 'broke my heart.'
'It was horrible and sad and it broke my heart,' she said of the divorce. 'It took me years to recover. I'm not blaming anyone, but I don't really want to get into it.'
Savannah was married to Mark from 2005 to 2009.
In her conversation with Monica, she revealed that interviewees have respected her decision to avoid any talk about the marriage breakdown.
'Pretty much everyone I ever did an interview with and sat down with respected that boundary,' she said. 'I appreciate that. I don't take that for granted.'
The same year that her divorce was finalized, Savannah met former Democratic political adviser Michael at his 40th birthday party which she 'crashed,' attending as her gal pal's plus one.
She and Michael hit it off and they began dating after he sent her an email 'a few days later.'
In February, Savannah revealed that she broke up with Michael hours before he proposed because she thought he would never pop the question.
In an interview with Kelly Clarkson, she recalled: 'I did break up with him the day we got engaged.'
'I certainly did not think we were getting engaged,' she added. 'When you've been dating for five and a half years, you no longer think a trip to the beach is the day. Like, you're not getting your nails done.'
Remembering her conversation with Michael, Savannah said she told him: 'Well, honey, you know we love each other... but this had been going on too long, so I think let's just say goodbye. Let's just let each other go.'
He instead urged them to 'go enjoy the day' and Savannah recalled feeling 'weepy' – until he got down on one knee.
She continued: 'Little do I know, he has an engagement ring in his pocket. So, he has a choice at that point: forget it, nobody knew he hadn't told a friend, didn't tell his parents, nobody knew he was gonna propose.
'So, he could've easily just let the whole thing go, we break up, that's the end of the story. But at sunset he said, "You know, [the resort] sent us this champagne lets go sit outside and have a drink."'
The couple ultimately exchanged vows just outside of Savannah's hometown of Tucson, Arizona in March 2014, a year after their engagement.
Five months after saying 'I do', the pair welcomed their first child together, daughter Vale Guthrie Feldman, on August 13.
And two years later on December 8, 2016, the host gave birth to their son, Charles Max.