Jenna Bush Hager Cries, Praises Savannah Guthrie’s ‘Today’ Show Interview: ‘Braver Than I Can Even Imagine’

Jenna Bush Hager had nothing but tearful praise to share about her friend and “Today” show colleague Savannah Guthrie Friday morning, following the latter’s “vulnerable” interview with Hoda Kotb and the announcement of her return date to the NBC morning show.

Kotb, who has stepped in to fill Guthrie’s “Today” show spot over the last two months, gave Bush Hager a chance Friday to speak about her friend, noting that “there’s no one at this table that’s closer to Savannah than you.” Kotb also remarked that the two are “like sisters,” and the strength of their bond showed when Bush Hager spoke.

“I just want to say, everything she said to you over the last two days is perfectly Savannah,” Bush Hager said. “She has been braver than I can even imagine.”

“She has been so vulnerable,” the “Today” show co-host continued. “She took her pain, her heart, her faith, her family in the midst of her despair, she laid it on the table for all of us. She didn’t have to do that. And she has. And I think of all of those people who’ve had heartbreak, they feel seen.”

Not only are Guthrie and Bush Hager colleagues, but the latter also named the former the godmother of her seven-year-old son and the two women even attend the same church.

Bush Hager’s comments came Friday, following the airing of the third part of Guthrie’s emotional interview with Kotb. The NBC morning show also announced Friday that Guthrie is currently planning on making her return to the series on Monday, April 6.

Assuming that plan sticks, that means Guthrie will be coming back to the “Today” show over two months after she stepped away on Feb. 1 in response to the disappearance and suspected kidnapping of her 84-year-old mom Nancy from her Tucson, Arizona, home. A joint federal and local investigation into Nancy’s disappearance remains ongoing.

Guthrie is slated to come back to the “Today” show the Monday after Easter, a scheduling decision which weatherman Al Roker said Friday had some “symbolic” depth. “What’s wonderful, it’s almost symbolic after Easter and the resurrection, the rising,” Roker explained. “I think as a family we’ll hold hands and help her.”

Kotb credited Roker for noticing the parallels between the Christian holiday’s significance and Guthrie’s return. Bush Hager revealed that Guthrie herself was aware of the parallels, too.

Their comments fall in line with the previous, public displays of support that Guthrie’s “Today” show colleagues have shown her over the last two months, including co-host Carson Daly, who praised Guthrie after she made a surprise visit to the show’s New York City set in March.

“Her grace is second to none under pressure,” Daly said at the time. “I just can’t say enough incredible things about what an amazing spirit she is.”

Speaking with Kotb, Guthrie offered some insight into her decision to return to the “Today” show next month, telling her colleague, “I can’t not come back, because it’s my family. I think it’s part of my purpose right now.”

“I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real … I will have joy. And my joy will be my protest,” Guthrie explained. “My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful. And when it’s not, I’ll say so. And I have been so grateful to have this family. I consider this my family, my greater family.”

“When times are hard, you want to be with your family,” Guthrie added. “And I want to be with my family.”

Both the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s department continue to look into the disappearance of Guthrie’s mother. The “Today” show host and her family have offered a $1 million reward, in addition to the FBI’s $100,00 reward, for any information that leads to Nancy’s discovery.

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