SAVANNAH Guthrie has been left in tears over her dad Charles’ death during an interview about her upcoming book.
The Today Show anchor took part in a discussion about her upcoming book Mostly What God Does at the George W. Bush Presidential Center with interviewer Charlotte Jones.
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Savannah Guthrie got visibly emotional during a new interview about her upcoming bookCredit: YouTube/TheBushCenter
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She said she ‘couldn’t believe’ she was crying when asked about her father’s deathCredit: YouTube/TheBushCenter
Charlotte, 57, was the guest moderator for the conversation.
She is the executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys.
“You lost your father when you were 16, and I know that was very traumatic,” Charlotte said during the interview as she went to broach the difficult topic with Savannah, 52.
“Do you mind taking us back?” the moderator asked.
“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,” Savannah replied.
She took a moment to collect herself as she was visibly teary-eyed.
“I can’t believe I’m crying. Darn you Charlotte, you shouldn’t be a Today Show host!” she exclaimed.
“You know how many times I tried to make President Bush cry? Never!” Savannah lashed out, jokingly, while continuing to cry softly.
The anchor was previously a White House correspondent during the Bush presidency.
Charlotte laughed, as did the entire audience, at Savannah’s reaction.
Savannah replaced on Today as she takes abrupt absence after ‘disrespectful’ interview
“He was our whole lives, and he passed away,” she continued.
“He had a heart attack, I was 16. I came home one night and he was gone,” Savannah explained.
“Losing my dad was a seminal event and I talk a lot about grief in the book,” she said of Mostly What God Does.
Savannah’s new book, Mostly What God Does, is out February 20
SEE YA, SAV
Savannah went missing earlier this week on the Today Show and was replaced by a different anchor.
This took place just days after backlash arose over her allegedly disrespectful interview with singer and actress Kelly Rowland.
Craig Melvin filled in alongside the show’s usual co-host Hoda Kotb, who simply said “Savannah is off this morning” without elaborating.
Typically Craig joins midway through the show, but Sheinelle Jones took that spot instead.
Savannah was present earlier in the week.
Her sudden absence came on the heels of criticism that she was disrespectful while interviewing Kelly.
The Today show did not explain Savannah’s departure, leaving viewers to speculate it may be related to the controversial interview.
SOLDIERING ON
Savannah interviewed Kelly on Thursday about her new Netflix thriller Mea Culpa.
However, fans slammed Savannah as disrespectful for asking about Kelly’s longtime friend Beyoncé.
After discussing Kelly’s acting role and new music, Savannah pivoted to ask what Kelly thought of Beyoncé “stepping into country music.”
Kelly politely replied she was “so proud of her.”
When Savannah pushed for more thoughts, Kelly reiterated she was “so happy for her.”
Fans blasted Savannah online for bringing up Beyoncé when Kelly was clearly there to promote her own work.
Viewers said they were tired of Kelly constantly being asked about Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child and called it disrespectful.
This backlash came right before Savannah’s unexplained absence on Friday’s show, leaving fans to speculate if the two events were related.
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She spoke fondly of her father and said she hadn’t cried about the event in yearsCredit: YouTube/TheBushCenter
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Savannah’s father, Charles, died when she was just 16 years oldCredit: Instagram/savannahguthrie
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Savannah’s new book, Mostly What God Does, is out February 20
