The Ladies From The Today Show Are Stunning Without Makeup

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Aside from accurately reporting the news, appearances are everything to an on-camera journalist. While some female anchors have been the subject of the biggest makeup fails, most have perfected the quintessential news host look. Looking presentable on air usually includes a chic outfit, coiffed hair, and pounds of makeup — those studio lights can wash you out. Former NBC "Today" host Hoda Kotb and co-host Jenna Bush Hager even admitted that they will sometimes wear their work makeup to the gym. So, when we see our favorite anchors without their normal glam, it's a welcome surprise.

Powdering one's face every hour of the workday can get exhausting, which is why many reporters leave their makeup in the studio. Their outside lives as busy parents or industrious authors means they don't always have time to curl their tresses or perfect a winged eyeliner. Notable figures like CBS News' Norah O'Donnell have shown off a makeup-free visage. Even the women of the "Today" show have flaunted their natural features. From Savanah Guthrie to Dylan Dreyer, NBC's favorite leading news ladies prove that you don't need a perfect set of falsies and a pound of hairspray to look stunning.

Jenna Bush Hager has been in the spotlight since childhood. The daughter of George W. Bush and granddaughter of George H.W. Bush was on camera before she even knew how to properly apply lipstick. Nowadays, the "Today with Jenna & Friends" host is rarely seen without a full face of product. But on the occasional chance that she gives us a makeup-free moment, it is worth raving about. In a birthday shoutout to her sister, Barbara Bush, which she posted on Instagram, Bush Hager looked fresh-faced with a towel on her head. The pair looked as if they had just received facials because their skin was glowing. 

Bush Hager doesn't wear makeup on the weekends, when she's off from work. Instead, she'll opt for tinted sunscreen. She specifically said her go-to is the ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint on an episode of "Today with Hoda and Jenna" in 2023. But on the go, Bush Hager doesn't necessarily have time to go through an entire skincare routine, so she usually keeps a few essentials in her purse, including Aquaphor. "Skin can be dry," she told E! News, adding of her kids, "They'll be like, 'Mom, this is itchy,' and I feel like Aquaphor is kind of a fix for everything."

Dylan Dreyer consistently looks flawless on the "Today" show's third hour, but she once admitted that her glam is no easy feat. "It takes a village," Dreyer told Us Weekly of her hair and makeup team, who helped her get ready for the 2023 People's Choice Country Awards. But behind the scenes, the meteorologist likes to keep things simple. Dreyer kept it au natural in a selfie with her father on Instagram. The no-makeup look accentuated her adorable dimples and freckle-adorned cheeks. Her natural brows also look perfectly manicured — overplucking can be disastrous, and that was the one beauty lesson Dreyer said she learned from her mom in an April 2025 Instagram reel.

Her own best skincare tip is always to wash your face before bed. However, there's no need to buy the market's top product. According to Dreyer, you can get her healthy-looking skin from one drugstore product. Her go-to face wash is a Noxzema cleanser because of its eucalyptus smell. "It's relaxing ... I know my day is winding down when I get to wash my face and take all the makeup off," she said on the "Today" show. Every once in a while, she will splurge on a trendy product, like when she impulsively bought a jade facial roller. After demonstrating how to use it on a 2019 episode of "Today," Dreyer said, "I've used it for the last three days and I already feel like a better person."

Sheinelle Jones doesn't mind getting all dolled up for the camera. Talking about her grandmother, whom she says was always dressed to the nines, Jones admitted to her colleagues at "Today" that she admired that generation's consistency with image. However, that doesn't stop Jones from keeping it real on her social media. In July 2024, the anchor posted a radiant, bare-faced selfie on Instagram that had her followers drooling. "Literally flawless," commented one person. Another user wrote, "That glow is just sensational."

More than ever, Jones — who lost her husband, Uche Ojeh, in 2025 — understands the importance of self-care. When Ojeh died in May 2025 after a long battle with brain cancer, Jones went on a months-long hiatus. She has since opened up about her "restorative tour" on Instagram. "I did all the things ... just trying to breathe," she wrote, adding that much of her time was dedicated to self-care, including yoga, meditation, spa days, and vacations. Now back at work on the "Today" show, Jones looks as stunning as ever.

Millions of viewers welcome Savannah Guthrie into their homes every day, so the "Today" host occasionally returns the favor and gives us a glimpse into her home. In 2017, Guthrie posted a sweet family photo of herself and her baby son on X (formerly Twitter) ahead of her return to NBC after giving birth. What makes the photo so real and relatable is the fact that the mom of two wasn't wearing any makeup, which people found refreshing. "I [love] the fresh face!!!" one X user commented. Another wrote, "U look fabulous."

When Guthrie gave birth to her daughter nearly three years prior, she was met with the same enthusiasm over pics of her in the hospital room with her unadorned visage, which the "Today" show posted on X at the time. In an interview when she went back to work, Guthrie admitted that she hadn't thought twice about throwing on some makeup after giving birth. "Honestly, it didn't even cross my mind to have fixed-up hair and makeup," she told Today Parents, adding that she thought her baby would grab the most attention. "Those pics were taken in the hospital room a few hours after she was born, so the only makeup I'm wearing is joy!!"

Laura Jarrett has been a dazzling face on the "Today" show since 2023, after solely serving as a senior legal correspondent at NBC. Like the rest of her colleagues, Jarrett spends the early moments before the show in the makeup chair — as highlighted by "Today" meteorologist Angie Lassman on Instagram. But when she's not on camera, Jarrett is letting her skin breathe. The "Saturday Today" co-anchor will occasionally share glimpses of her home life on social media, and as a busy mom of two, she normally isn't bothering with makeup.

In August 2024, Jarrett posted a family photo on Instagram from their vacation to Martha's Vineyard. The foursome posed gleefully in the pool, with Jarrett flaunting her gorgeous natural features, including her curly hair, which she doesn't normally wear naturally on camera — it's usually styled in a straight blowout. The news personality — like many celebrities — looks totally different with her natural hair, but with how stunning her locks frame her face, we hope she considers wearing it more often!