Savannah Guthrie knows what it’s like to fill someone else’s shoes Today show.
This week marked the beginning of a new era of the weekday news program. Guthrie, 53, now co-hosts the show alongside Craig Melvin, who served as full-time co-anchor of the NBC show’s first and second hours on Jan. 13.
The new lineup comes after Hoda Kotb relinquished her co-hosting seat after 17 years. She concluded her long tenure on the show during an emotional final farewell episode on January 10.
Like Melvin, 45, Guthrie stepped into the role of co-anchor following the departure of a colleague, although her circumstances were very different.
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Guthrie was offered the job in 2012 after Ann Curry’s abrupt departure. In a new interview with Parade, Guthrie reflected on the promotion and how it was very unexpected.
“I came at a time of a lot of controversy about the show, and it was, I think, not actually a happy occasion — for anyone, including me,” she told the outlet.
“I was as scared as I could be because the bosses at the time had made a decision, and I was literally the last one to know, and I was so scared, and I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to last,” she continued.
Guthrie was already a member at the time Today as anchor of the 9 a.m. after working as a White House correspondent and chief legal analyst for NBC News in 2011. It was a role she was content with, she said.
“All my dreams had already come true,” Guthrie told Parade. “It didn’t have to get any better than that.”
“When I was offered the job, I was in tears,” she continued. “And it wasn’t because I didn’t dream of this job like everyone else does. It was because I was sure that it wouldn’t last long and that in a few weeks or months I would be pushed aside. I’m so I’m glad I survived and I’m still here.”
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Guthrie is now entering her 14th year with the Today show, and she worked with Kotb for that entire period. When it came time for her old colleague – and good friend – to finally close the broadcast for the last time on January 10, it was an emotional moment.
“When we thought about how best to celebrate you, Hoda, and what you have meant to all of us, it was really just one word: love,” she told Kotb, 60, as she shared a tearful tribute to her kicked off. “You are love. And we love you. You are all about it. We are so inspired by you every day.”
Guthrie went on to talk about Kotb, describing her as “the ultimate people person” and someone who is “like a sister to me,” adding, “She’s so special, it’s almost impossible to describe.”
“Hoda, I love you. I love you very much,” she continued. “And as I always tell you, whether you sit next to me or not. Whether we get up together at four in the morning or not, I will always be by your side and you will always be by mine.”