Savannah Guthrie has been through some very hard moments before finding peace and happiness.
She recently appeared on her former Today cohost Hoda Kotb’s new YouTube series called Joy Rides. The episode aired on January 21. The two talked while riding together during Savannah’s morning commute to work.
Hoda asked Savannah about the hardest time in her life. Savannah did not hesitate. She said it was her divorce from her first husband, Mark Orchard.
They met and married in 2005. Their marriage ended in 2009. Savannah said she was in her 30s at the time. She felt old back then. Now she realizes she was actually very young.
She was heartbroken. She was also starting a brand new job at NBC. She was trying to build her career while her personal life was falling apart. She said she felt like a failure and had to dig deep to keep going.
That painful time also changed her faith. Savannah said she learned she did not have to be perfect to be loved by God. She felt supported even when she believed she had failed. That realization stayed with her and became a turning point in her life.
Savannah joined NBC News in 2007. She became a cohost on Today a few years later. In 2012, she stepped into a major role on the show and has remained there since.
She met her current husband, Michael Feldman, in 2008. They started dating after her divorce was finalized. They got married in March 2014.
Hoda later asked Savannah about her happiest moments. Savannah said nothing compares to becoming a mother. She called it the deepest joy she has ever felt.
She was pregnant with her daughter, Vale, during her wedding. Vale was born in August 2014. Her son, Charley, was born in December 2016.
Savannah said holding her babies for the first time changed everything. She described the feeling as overwhelming and complete. She said it was what she had always wanted most in life.
The episode was filmed before Savannah took medical leave from Today. She stepped away in December 2025 for surgery on her vocal cords.
She recently shared that she will appear on the January 23 episode to talk about her surgery. She is expected to return to her cohost seat on January 26.
