“Today” show star Savannah Guthrie has more than a year left on her current $7 million-a-year deal — and will remain in NBC’s Studio 1A for the foreseeable future, industry sources told Page Six.
Rumors have circulated that Guthrie’s co-anchor, Hoda Kotb, trumped Guthrie, 52, by announcing her sudden departure last week.
“There was talk that Savannah was planning her own exit strategy for next year after the election, but Hoda made that impossible,” a TV source told Page Six.
Hoda Kotb (center) broke down in tears when announcing her departure from the “Today” program. She was flanked by Jenna Bush Hager (right) and co-anchor Savannah Guthrie (left), whom she called “our sunshine.” Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images Guthrie (center) — seen with Kotb (left) and Bush Hager (right) — had her own best-selling book titled “Mostly What God Does.” Getty Images TV sources believed that after her book was published, Guthrie here, along with her husband Mike Feldman and children Charlie and Phil, would plan to get out of “the day.” Getty Images
NBC staff suspected that Guthrie — who will help run the network’s Election Night coverage next month — was paving the way for a future outside the “Today” show by publishing her critically acclaimed, New York Times bestseller, “In Mostly What God Does: Reflections on “Seeking and Finding,” in February, We Are Told.
“Savannah has spoken often about not wanting to overstay her welcome on ‘Today.'” “She frankly viewed the book as a sign of what her life would be like after ‘Today,'” a senior NBC staffer said.
“My hunch is that Hoda swept it all away.”
A TV insider added: “Of course, no one at NBC wants Savannah to leave. I think if the bosses had their way she would be here for life. She’s the beating heart of ‘Today’ – there’s a lot of support for her.”
Guthrie won an Emmy for her interview with President Donald Trump in 2020. AFP via Getty Images She is scheduled to be part of NBC’s election night coverage on November 5.
“There are very few people who can go from dressing up as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader for Halloween to interviewing the president to covering a major breaking news story.”
We’re told that Kotb, 60, gave a speech to the “Today” show crew after breaking the news of her departure on air, and that Guthrie followed her to “rally the troops.”
“We had a staff meeting right after the announcement. A source told Today: ‘Hoda spoke, the bosses spoke, and then Savannah spoke, and she was lovely.’”[Guthrie] “Giving the TODAY team the care I really needed at that moment.”
Laura Jarrett (right, with Guthrie and “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker is said to be the front-runner for the mogul’s seat. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
“Today” has beaten ABC rival “Good Morning America” in total viewers over the past two months and has won in the main news demo, adults 25-54, for the past eight years.
Puck News reported on Friday that the mogul was paid more than $20 million a year and decided to leave after NBC bosses proposed a pay cut. The outlet also reported that Guthrie earns more than $20 million annually.
However, a senior source at NBC estimated that Guthrie and Cotb currently make around $7-8 million per year. Before his departure in 2017, disgraced “Today” show host Matt Lauer was on a deal worth an estimated $25 million a year.
Some industry insiders fear that “Today” viewers may be put off by the fact that Jarrett’s mother is former senior advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett. WireImage
“Matt Lauer made that kind of money, but when he left, he also took that kind of salary,” a senior NBC source said.
As for who will take over Kotb’s duties when she leaves the show next year, industry sources say the front-runners are new “Today” anchor Craig Melvin, “Today” news anchor and NBC News’ senior legal correspondent Laura Garrett, who already co-hosts the Saturday show “Today.”
Jarrett is the daughter of Valerie Jarrett, who served as a senior advisor to President Barack Obama.
Guthrie and Cotb hosted the “Today” show live from Paris during the Summer Olympics. They are joined by Al Roker (right) and Craig Melvin (left), who is the favorite to replace Kotb. Getty Images Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin have stepped into the “Today” show co-anchor seats as extras. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
“Today’s audience is politically right of center, so there will be a question about whether viewers will welcome Valerie Jarrett’s daughter into Hoda’s seat,” a TV insider said.
But multiple sources at NBC said there is no clear candidate yet.
“Many people know they need to step up their efforts,” an NBC source said. “When a global crisis unfolds, you have to be able to look up and trust the people you see on the air.”
