‘Today’: Savannah Guthrie Seemingly Shuts Down Hoda Kotb Feud Rumors With Sweet Birthday Message

Since becoming co-hosts on the Today show, there have been longstanding rumors that Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb do not get along, even though they’ve denied such. But after Guthrie’s touching birthday tribute to Kotb, those rumors may be dispelled. The morning news anchor shared a series of photos embracing Kotb, captioning the post, “She is our sunshine – happy birthday, @hodakotb!!!” along with a sunshine emoji. Kotb first joined the show in 2007 as the first host of Today’s first fourth-hour weekday morning broadcast. The block is now known as 4th Hour with Hoda and Jenna. Guthrie joined the Today work family in 2012.

It’s not the first time Guthrie has spoken lovingly about Kotb. Regarding Kotb replacing Matt Lauer, Guthrie said: “All I know was in that moment, it felt like I could drown if Hoda hadn’t reached down and grabbed my hand,” referencing Lauer’s sexual misconduct scandal, Hello Magazine reports. “I will always say she saved the show full stop. And holding hands with her and being like, ‘We’re going to do this together,’ meant everything to me. I don’t think I had the confidence by myself.”

Guthrie is proud that two successful women in broadcast can support one another in such a fashion. “It’s wonderful to have a female partnership, but to me, to have this friend and cheerleader and partner, and I really feel that from her, and I hope we share that,” she said. “It’s incredible. I always say, ‘I’ll hold my hands and close my eyes and go anywhere with you.’ I would.”

Kotb has expressed gratefulness to Gutherie for always being there to be a pick me up when needed.”I have some nights where I really messed up and I know I did,” she once revealed. “And I come in the next morning [thinking], I feel terrible for what I did. What was I thinking? Why did I think that was going to work? They went to bed crying. Like, I don’t want that to be me. But then I talk to Savannah. She’ll say, ‘That was my Wednesday,’ it makes you feel less alone.”