Savannah Guthrie‘s colleagues spent months at her side as she went through one of the most painful chapters of her life.
Since the disappearance of his mother, Nancy Guthrieon Feb. 1, the “Today” co-anchor leaned on the support of her TV family.
Now, dear guests Sheinelle Jones And Jenna Bush Hager open with the emotional toll the ordeal took on everyone behind the scenes, revealing how the crisis strengthened their bond on and off camera.
Savannah Guthrie received the same support she once gave others
For Jones, rallying behind Savannah Guthrie seemed natural because she had already enjoyed the same support.
Jones endured a devastating time after her husband, Uche Ojeh, was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2023. He later died in May 2025, leaving Jones to go through immense grief while raising their three children.
Reflecting on Savannah’s ongoing ordeal, Jones explained why helping her friend was never a question. “We will rally around our sister,” Jones said Page six. “She rallied around me. We know how to do that here.”
She remembered a particularly meaningful moment during her husband’s illness, when Savannah stepped in to help him. “There was one day, Savannah came to the hospital and she said, ‘You need to get out of here…'” the host said.
The two briefly left the hospital and spent time together at a nearby restaurant.
“We went to this little restaurant around the corner from the hospital and had margaritas, and I said, ‘You were my oxygen for the day, and sometimes I never know where my oxygen is going to come from,'” Jones said.
Savannah’s absence changed the dynamic for Bush Hager and Jones
Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance occurred just weeks after Jones and Jenna Bush Hager launched “Jenna & Sheinelle,” the fourth hour of “Today.”
Under normal circumstances, the showrunners could have spent more time focusing on the show’s debut. Instead, personal struggles took center stage.
“I didn’t have time to worry about my hair or whether I was funny. Real life was happening,” Jones explained.
Despite the difficult circumstances, the journalist believes that this experience deepened her partnership with Bush Hager. “It continues to connect us in ways that we can’t even describe or make sense of,” she added.
The emotional honesty resonated with viewers. The program’s ratings have grown significantly, increasing 30 percent over the past year and producing its highest May audience share in four years.
For Jones and Bush Hager, however, the focus remained on supporting Savannah Guthrie rather than celebrating the ratings success.
Savannah Guthrie remained at the center of daily conversations
Jenna Bush Hager admitted it would have been impossible to ignore what Savannah was going through. “[Savannah’s] heartbroken and we love him,” she said.
Unlike traditional news programs, the hosts said their show relies heavily on personal connections and authenticity.
“The beautiful thing about our hour is that we can’t pretend. We don’t have information to rely on. Our conversations have to be emotional and connected to what we’re really experiencing,” explained Bush Hager.
This meant openly discussing Savannah’s absence.
“Every day we thought about her,” the 44-year-old noted, adding, “How could we not talk about it? It was what was happening off camera.”
The hosts deliberately avoided pretending everything was fine. Bush Hager said: “We’re not going to act like everything is okay if it’s not. It was a really tough time because we loved him so much, and still do.
Savannah’s struggles never made her co-stars think twice about themselves
While some might wonder if Nancy’s disappearance raised concerns for their own families, Bush Hager quickly dismissed that idea.
“No, because we are worried about one person,” she said. The same mindset guided the team during Jones’ family tragedy. “When Sheinelle was going through what she was going through, we didn’t think, ‘What if this happened to us?'” the journalist explained.
Instead, the focus remained on helping as much as possible. This spirit also shaped the growing friendship between Sheinelle Jones and Jenna Bush Hager.
Before Jones officially accepted the co-host role, Bush Hager already knew she wanted her for the job.
“I always wanted Sheinelle,” she said, explaining further: “But I was waiting because she was going through something very personal.”
The partnership has since evolved into what Jones jokingly described as “live on-air meetings,” while Bush Hager likened the experience to learning to fly a plane while flying it.
Savannah Guthrie’s faith continues to inspire those around her
Faith played a major role in helping both women through difficult seasons, and Sheinelle Jones said Savannah Guthrie’s outlook left a lasting impact on her.
With Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance still unsolved and a million-dollar reward now offered for information, Jones continues to draw strength from a conversation she had with Savannah.
“We’re both pretty spiritual,” she said. She remembers Savannah sharing a lesson from scripture about finding strength one day at a time. According to Jones, these words held true throughout his own struggles.
“And you wake up in the morning and you’ll feel like you can’t get out of bed, but just know that one way or another, you’re going to receive a little manna every day,” she shared.
Jones also thanked former “Today” co-anchor Hoda Kotb for encouraging her to take on the show’s fourth-hour role. Months later, Jones believes Kotb was right.
In his words: “I love being able to sit back and not know exactly where we’re going to go and having the freedom to figure it out together. »
