Savannah Guthrie cried on the TODAY Show as she recalled losing her father as a teenager while speaking about The Dad Letter Project

Savannah Guthrie was visibly overwhelmed with emotion for personal reasons during Friday’s episode of the TODAY Show. The NBC anchor fought back tears as she opened up about losing her father, Charles Guthrie, during her teenage years. The emotional moment arose as Savannah and her co-host, Craig Melvin, welcomed Rosie Paulik and her father, Buz, to Studio 1A to discuss The Dad Letter Project.The project came about after Rosie shared a TikTok video highlighting her father’s remarkable habit of writing her a letter every day. The heartfelt gesture resonated with thousands of people worldwide, many of whom asking if he’ll write letters for them too.

The father-daughter pair from Ohio discussed the impact of The Dad Letter Project on the show and shared some fatherly wisdom. With his newfound free time in retirement, Buz embraced the role of a universal dad, writing letters to those in need of fatherly comfort. “The story really touched me and I read it and was like we have to do this story,” said Savannah. “And you know, I lost my dad as a teenager and that really makes me emotional because I get it. Like you want to hear from a dad, just that dad energy is so special.”

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Savannah was visibly emotional

Savannah suddenly burst into tears and was comforted by Craig. “And I told your dad that when we were in commercials. And he goes, ‘If you cry, I’m going to have to send you to the mall with a credit card.’ And I love that, so thank you for giving me that moment, that is so sweet,” she added.

“We recruited some of our dads to help with the project,” shared Savannah. “We’ve got two of our favourite dads over there,” added Craig. The camera then panned over to Al Roker and Carson Daly who could be seen writing letters.

Savannah’s dad

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Savannah lost her dad at 16

The news anchor has previously opened up about losing her father at the age of 16.  “I was 13, still grappling with high school, when my father had his first heart attack. To be honest, I didn’t truly understand the gravity of it back then,” she shared in 2023. Charles sadly passed away three years later.

“Grief, to me, feels like a cup of water that I was handed at a young age. Sometimes it pours out in torrents, sometimes just a sprinkle, but it’s something I’ll carry till my last day. This grief doesn’t overshadow my happiness or joy but has become a part of who I am,” she admitted.