Savannah Guthrie Breaks Down in Tears While Talking About Her Father’s Death During Book Tour

During a recent appearance to promote her new book, Mostly What God Does, Savannah Guthrie got emotional while talking about her late father, Charles Guthrie.

“You lost your father when you were 16, and I know that was very traumatic,” interviewer Charlotte Jones said to Savannah, 52, at the George W. Bush Presidential Center on February 15. “Do you mind taking us back?”

“Yeah, my father was a larger than life, amazing – I can’t believe you’re making me cry, I haven’t cried about this in a long time – deeply faithful man,” the Today star said in response while wiping away tears. “I can’t believe I’m crying. Darn you, Charlotte, you should be a Today show host!”

Savannah’s emotional appearance came amid a series of absences from Today to focus on her book tour across the U.S.

“He was our whole lives, and he passed away,” Savannah added about her dad. “He had a heart attack, I was 16. I came home one night and he was gone.”

To honor his memory, Savannah named her son after her late father after giving birth in December 2016. In addition to son Charles, the broadcaster shares daughter Vale with husband Mike Feldman, whom she wed in March 2014.

Savannah previously opened up about her father’s health and death during an August 2023 episode of Brooke Shields’ “Now What?” podcast.

“I think it changes everything. I always think of it as on our calendars we have B.C. and A.D. There’s a before and after. It’s just this stark dividing line,” she said of losing a parent. “There’s before my dad died and there’s after, and it’s profound. Grief is a lifelong process. I really believe that. There’s acute grief.”

The newscaster admitted that her dad’s death had a huge effect on the direction her life and career took.

“I know it changed me and probably changed the whole trajectory of my life,” Savannah shared. “I often think that I would have been totally different if my father had lived. I just don’t know that I would have chosen this career. I don’t know if I would have left home. I might’ve stayed in my hometown.”

“I don’t know what I would have done, but I know fundamentally it changed everything,” she added. “And some things it changed for the better, in the sense of, I know that my heart is more tender because of it.”