Savannah Guthrie's Most Talked-About Live TV Moments

This article references phobias, miscarriage, infertility, terrorism, sexual misconduct, and a missing person case.

The award-winning Savannah Guthrie is one of the most recognizable and influential figures to grace U.S. television. Be they live or taped, many of her interviews cause quite a stir, but Savannah's own tragic family affairs have garnered equal attention. For instance, Savannah has endured the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, her 84-year-old mother. At the time of publishing, Nancy remains missing. Still, as stressful as this period is for the broadcast journalist, she's still committed to her roles as co-anchor for the "Today" show and chief legal correspondent for NBC News. Thankfully, she can count on the love and support of her husband, corporate consultant Michael Feldman. The couple also share two kids: daughter Vale and son Charles.

Looking back, Savannah has enjoyed a truly remarkable career transformation. Armed with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a Juris Doctor, Savannah first gained recognition as a legal correspondent. After cementing her position at NBC as a reporter for the White House, she joined "The Daily Rundown" on MSNBC and then "Today." Known for her poise, sharpness, and versatility, Savannah has truly become a key player in the network. So, let's revisit some of the beloved TV personality's most memorable on-screen moments. We don't mean notable pre-recorded sit-downs like the ones she had with Barack Obama or Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor. Instead, we'll highlight her sharp skills as well as a few funny, spontaneous, or emotional incidents that the audience witnessed live.

Managing your phobias (or at least limiting their influence on your actions) is much easier said than done. Some people fear money, water, or confined spaces. Pamela Anderson's biggest fear may even surprise you. As for Savannah Guthrie, she can't stand being around frogs and toads. Known as ranidaphobia, the condition is typically more common in children and teenagers, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It can cause anxiety, chills, dizziness, and heart palpitations, as well as indigestion and nightmares. 

Let's go back to August 30, 2011, when "Today" was covering a country fair featuring various animals, including amphibians. Back then, Guthrie couldn't hide her squeamishness on camera, especially when Al Roker pulled her toward an American bullfrog and asked, "Are you afraid of a little frog? How are you going to do the frog jumping [game]?" Roker and Matt Lauer later held their frogs to her face, and she bolted while screaming, "Oh my God, stop it, stop it!" (via HuffPost). The audience and the press may have found these moments amusing, but Guthrie was clearly uncomfortable. Fast forward to January 2013, when notorious prankster Ellen DeGeneres placed a fake frog on the journalist's lap. DeGeneres then chased Guthrie with the toy while the latter yelled, "God, no! Please, no, I'm serious. I don't understand it either! I'm gonna go to therapy!" (via HuffPost).

On December 5, 2011, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Savannah Guthrie were getting ready to start a segment on "Today." The latter's brand-new iPhone, which she hadn't fully mastered yet, suddenly started playing music on high volume. The journalist and author, who didn't know how to turn it down, spontaneously placed her mobile under the anchors' couch, hoping their microphones wouldn't capture the sound. Immediately after the team went live, Lauer couldn't help but recount the incident. He then grabbed the phone and handed it to Roker so he could identify the song in question. As it was from the soundtrack of the popular high-school series "Glee," everyone (except Guthrie, who was clearly mortified) had a field day.

When USA Today interviewed her about it a year later, she revealed that the song was a cover of the heart-wrenching power ballad "All by Myself," originally released by Eric Carmen in 1975. "It was a very embarrassing song," she said, before admitting, "'Glee' does an excellent rendition." 

Savannah Guthrie joined NBC News in September 2007, but she didn't officially debut as "Today" co-anchor on the flagship slot until July 9, 2012. That moment marked a turning point in her career, and it was picked up by major publications and news agencies, including Reuters, HuffPost, and The New York Times. "I get to be the first to officially say, 'Welcome to "Today," and we are thrilled to have you,'" Matt Lauer said on the show, moments after they went live from Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza. He then added that her "great attitude" and "weird sense of humor" were a real asset.

Years later, Guthrie revealed that she never expected to fill in Ann Curry's spot on the show. "All my dreams had already come true," she told Parade in January 2025. "It didn't need to get any better than that. When I was offered the job, I was in tears ... It was because I was sure that it wouldn't last and that I'd be thrown by the wayside within a few weeks or months." Clearly, the network made the right call. As for Curry, she joined the ranks of the unfortunate news anchors who suffered major career downfalls after getting fired.

Throughout her career, Savannah Guthrie has interviewed multiple political figures, including Barack Obama, Donald Trump, George W. Bush, Liz Cheney, Nicholas Sandmann, and Hillary Clinton. On October 5, 2015, before moderating Clinton's town hall in Hollis, New Hampshire, the journalist chatted with the Democratic presidential candidate. They addressed various hot topics, such as the potential impact of a woman president, gun control, and the congressional hearing on the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya.

While the latter issue made Clinton lose her composure, it was another matter that caused her to snap: the email controversy. Back in March 2015, The New York Times reported that Clinton exclusively used a personal email account when she was secretary of state. This was problematic because she was supposed to use a "state.gov" account, at least for official correspondence. Per the article, "Her expansive use of the private account was alarming to current and former National Archives and Records Administration officials and government watchdogs, who called it a serious breach." Guthrie questioned Clinton on the matter, noting that, although Clinton had apologized, she also accused the Republicans of amplifying the scandal. "Which is it?" the journalist asked her (via Salon). "If you're blaming the Republicans, some might wonder, 'How genuine is that apology?'"

Savannah Guthrie and Michael Feldman tied the knot in March 2014 and welcomed their daughter, Vale, soon after. Unfortunately, while trying to conceive a second baby, Guthrie suffered a miscarriage and then struggled with infertility. After a couple of rounds of in vitro fertilization, the couple finally had their boy, Charles. Given that their journey was painful and stressful, announcing that second pregnancy to the "Today" team and its viewers was all the more emotional. Guthrie decided to drop the happy news live, thus surprising both the team and her fans.

On a 2016 episode of the "Today" show, Guthrie invited all of the show's anchors on set to a play "Tuesday Trending Fishbowl," a game that involved drawing questions from a bowl. Matt Lauer went first, sharing that his favorite album was Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road." Guthrie then drew the question "Are you pregnant?" and answered, "Well, yeah! I AM pregnant!" Everyone then cheered and proceeded to congratulate her. She also shared an adorable clip of Vale in a shirt that said, "I was here first." The toddler was in tears because she didn't want a sibling.

When Savannah Guthrie debuted as a main co-anchor for "Today" on July 9, 2012, she was introduced by Matt Lauer. The pair once enjoyed a fantastic professional and personal connection, with Lauer often teasing her while on air. Fast forward to November 29, 2017: Sharing the desk with Hoda Kotb, a visibly distressed Guthrie announced that Lauer had been fired from NBC News. She read NBC News Chairman Andrew Lack's statement, which revealed shocking allegations of sexual misconduct — Lauer's first complaint in his two-decade tenure. "Our highest priority is to create a workplace environment where everyone feels safe and protected, and to ensure that any actions that run counter to our core values are met with consequences, no matter the offender," Lack wrote.

"We just learned this moments ago, just this morning," Guthrie revealed, fighting back tears. "As I'm sure you can imagine, we are devastated and we are still processing ... All we can say is that we are heartbroken." Major news publications, including The Guardian, Business Insider, and The New York Times, immediately picked up the story.

Savannah Guthrie is a huge fan of former tennis player Roger Federer, a two-time Olympic medalist. The Swiss icon officially retired in 2022, but he still runs his charity, the Roger Federer Foundation. The charity operates in Switzerland and several Southern African countries, promoting basic education for millions of underprivileged children. On March 5, 2018, Federer was the star of a tennis event at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Named "Match for Africa 5 Silicon Valley," the event attracted 16,000 spectators and topped the news, mainly because he played with Bill Gates against Guthrie and Olympic gold medalist Jack Sock.

"Second to Federer, Guthrie emerged as the crowd favorite during the doubles match as her game grew steadier and her cheerful disposition remained unshakable," USA Today wrote. Despite Guthrie's training, Team Federer and Gates won the match by 6-3. "You have to start looking at the ball and stop looking at me,” Federer joked to Guthrie (via Today.com). "It was epic, it was amazing, it was embarrassing — all of the adjectives," the elated broadcast journalist later shared on the "Today" show. Even better: The event helped raise a whopping $2.5 million for the Foundation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, millions were forced to study and work from home for safety reasons. Social distancing and medical masks became the norm. In March 2020, Savannah Guthrie, who had the sniffles and a sore throat, found herself anchoring "Today" from her home's basement in New York. "In an abundance of caution and to model the vigilance the CDC has asked of all of us, she followed the advice of NBC's medical team and is working from home," the show's social media team announced on March 18 via X. Similarly, Al Roker, who had been exposed to an infected colleague, reported about the weather from his own kitchen.

During Guthrie's isolation period, it was her husband, Michael Feldman, who would help her prepare herself and set up the makeshift studio. "It's really about doing all kinds of things that you wouldn't normally do," she told The New York Times. "It's an amusing and surreal experience to be hosting the 'Today' show and trying to interview newsmakers and hearing my children's feet pounding on the floor above."

Savannah Guthrie has conducted multiple interviews with Donald Trump for NBC News, both as candidate and president. Their most memorable sit-down aired on October 15, 2020 for the Miami town hall during the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Biden was infected with the virus at the time, and his virtual town hall was broadcast on another channel from Pennsylvania. Trump, who tested positive on October 1^st, had barely recovered. So, Guthrie made sure to grill him about the severity of his symptoms and the date of his most recent negative test. "I'm President; I have to see people. I can't be in a basement," he protested during the interview. Guthrie retorted, "You can see people with the masks though, right?" Other than pandemic-related issues, they also covered hot topics like his debt, taxes, Bin Laden, and the QAnon conspiracy theory.

Following that broadcast, Guthrie received praise for her outstanding research and interviewing skills from her alma mater, the University of Arizona School of Journalism. "Ms. Guthrie appeared to be successful in pinning down the president simply by following up on the questions she asked, despite his best attempts to evade answering," The New York Times wrote. "It ended up being one of the toughest grillings he has faced as president, with questions about white supremacy, COVID-19 deaths, and his taxes," commented the The Washington Post.

Savannah Guthrie has dealt with various health issues over the years, including a struggle with infertility, as well as operations for her eye and vocal cords. She also contracted COVID-19 twice – in 2022 and once in 2023, despite taking every precaution, along with receiving the vaccine and booster shots. As a result, she had to take sick leave on several occasions. One of these moments was highlighted on the "Today" show, which typically starts at 7 a.m.

On February 28, 2023, Guthrie abruptly left set around 7:30 a.m. Having tested positive for the virus, she didn't reappear on set after the commercial break. Her co-host, Sheinelle Jones, gave viewers an update around 9 a.m. "It has been an interesting morning for us," Jones announced on the show. "As soon as we found out, she rushed home to rest up. So, Savannah, we love you, wishing you a speedy recovery."

On November 5, 2024, NBC News made history by offering 24 hours of uninterrupted coverage of the presidential race across its local affiliated stations. Pitting Kamala Harris against Donald Trump, NBC's "Election Night: Decision 2024" featured more than 100 correspondents stationed all over the U.S. The network picked Lester Holt and Savannah Guthrie as the lead anchors from 30 Rockefeller Center. They were backed by Kristen Welker, Hallie Jackson, and Tom Llamas.

Sporting a white blazer, Guthrie seemed relaxed and self-assured. "Never before in modern political history have we entered an election night with the polls so close and, Lester, with so much uncertainty," she said during the special. Her Instagram post promoting the event garnered the attention of fans and critics alike due to her outfit choice. Political opinions aside, one user wrote, "Noticed you are wearing white, trying not to take sides." Another user commented, "She can do hard news like no other, and then turn to celebrity interviews and cooking segments."

On October 16, 2025, Richard Gere made two memorable appearances on "Today." Not only was he interviewed by Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie, but he also playfully "crashed" the anchors' couch during the "PopStart" entertainment segment. The iconic actor and producer was there to promote a documentary about the Dalai Lama that he executive-produced with Oron Moverman. Titled "Wisdom of Happiness," this award-winning film was helmed by Philip Delaquis and Barbara Miller.

As inspirational as this release was, it was Gere's playful banter with Guthrie that was mostly reported by outlets like People, Entertainment Weekly, TV Insider, and the Irish Star. They especially noted how "flustered" and "starstruck" the journalist was as she grinned and pretended to fan herself. The actor looked very comfortable on that couch, surrounded by Melvin, Jenna Bush Hager, Dylan Dreyer, and Carson Daly. Gere sat right next to Guthrie, prompting the latter to joke (via People), "Oh, is it getting hot in here?"

On April 6, 2026, Savannah Guthrie resumed her duties on "Today" after a two-month hiatus. The journalist had taken time off due to a family tragedy: the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie. To mark the occasion, she sported a yellow dress, a bright color that symbolizes hope, serenity, and confidence. "It is good to have you back at home," her co-anchor, Craig Melvin, said at the beginning of the show. "Well, here we go. Ready or not, let's do the news," Savannah bravely added.

Nancy was last seen by her other daughter, Annie Guthrie, on the evening of January 31. Police believe she was abducted because they were some signs of forced entry and traces of blood on her porch. To make matter worse, various media outlets have received alleged ransom notes demanding millions in Bitcoin. These disturbing messages don't provide any contact information, so Savannah, Annie, and their brother, Camron Guthrie, were unable to contact the kidnappers and safely settle the fee.