Friendship isn’t always smooth sailing—sometimes it comes with a few playful jabs, even when you’re on live television. Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager proved exactly that during the August 20 broadcast, when a long-running inside joke about Guthrie’s wedding guest list resurfaced in the most delightfully awkward way.
The conversation started innocently enough, with Guthrie reminiscing about her 2014 wedding to Michael Feldman. But then, Bush Hager—never one to miss a chance at a laugh—reminded viewers of one little detail: she didn’t score an invite.
Cue the side-eye.
“She claims we weren’t friends,” Bush Hager teased, before Guthrie quickly jumped in with her own defense. “No, we were friends, but it was a small wedding—we can’t do this again,” she said, laughing through the tension.
Looking back, Guthrie admitted that their bond wasn’t quite what it is today. “We did know each other, but we didn’t know each other well,” she explained. “If I’d known that you would become one of my lifelong best friends, then I would have invited you. But I didn’t know that.”
From “Not Invited” to Bridesmaids
Despite their lighthearted beef over wedding guest lists, the two anchors made it clear that their friendship is now stronger than ever. “Listen, if we were married today,” Guthrie said with a grin, “we would be each other’s bridesmaids.”
And the truth is, they’ve been through enough together to prove it. Since teaming up on Today, the duo has weathered early mornings, personal challenges, and plenty of laughs, carving out a friendship that fans can feel right through the screen.
Their journey hasn’t been without its bumps. “We’ve had our little beefs over the years,” Guthrie acknowledged, but always with gratitude for where they’ve landed. “I’m just so glad about where our relationship is now.”
A Friendship Written in Makeup Chairs
Bush Hager has been open about the unlikely start of their bond. In a personal essay, she admitted, “I knew nothing about Savannah Guthrie before she sat down next to me in the makeup chair five years ago. I knew nothing about her, even though we had overlapped in Washington, D.C. for several years, knew some of the same people, and had even been in the same room at the same time.”
It wasn’t until they were thrown into the whirlwind of live TV together that their connection really bloomed. Over the years, they’ve transformed from colleagues into best friends, the kind who can poke fun at each other’s past decisions and laugh about it on national television.
Wedding Bells and Full-Circle Moments
Interestingly enough, Guthrie was present at Bush Hager’s wedding to Henry Hager back in 2008—but not as a guest. At the time, Guthrie was there strictly for work, covering the nuptials for NBC. Life has a funny way of coming full circle: today, she and Bush Hager are inseparable, the kind of friends who might as well be family.
And maybe that’s what makes their on-air banter so special. Beneath the teasing and side-eyes lies a friendship rooted in mutual respect, shared laughter, and the kind of closeness that can only come with years of trust.
From Missed Invitations to Lifelong Bonds
If anything, their story is a reminder that friendships don’t always start with grand gestures or perfect timing. Sometimes they sneak up on you—through makeup chairs, shared coffee breaks, or even a missed wedding invitation.
For Guthrie and Bush Hager, what began as a work partnership has grown into something much deeper: a sisterhood that plays out every morning in front of millions of viewers. And though Savannah may never be able to rewrite that 2014 guest list, the good news is clear—when it comes to life’s big moments today, these two are guaranteed to be standing by each other’s side.
