Savannah Guthrie returned to the TODAY show earlier this month on Monday, April 6. This came two months after her mother Nancy Guthrie, 84, was kidnapped from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Sadly, Nancy remains missing, and the search for her continues.
Now, the TODAY co-host Sheinelle Jones is speaking out to reveal the heartbreaking advice that Savannah has given her about guilt.
Savannah’s Advice On Grief
Sheinelle, 47, lost her husband Uche Ojeh to an aggressive form of brain cancer in May of last year. He was only 45 years-old at the time. They shared three children: shared Kayin, 16, and twins Uche Jr. and Clara, 13.
While appearing on the “Open Book With Jenna” podcast on Thursday, Sheinelle told host Jenna Bush Hager that Savannah taught her “a couple of things” to help her navigate any guilt that she may feel in her grief in the wake of his passing.
“One, because her father passed [when she was] 16, she was like, ‘You don’t have to try to be the superhero.’ And she actually helped me tremendously,” Sheinelle recalled.
Savannah knew a thing or two about grief long before Nancy was taken. Indeed, her father Charles Guthrie died suddenly of a heart attack back in 1988. He was only 49 years-old at the time, while Savannah was just 16.
Sheinelle went on to say that Savannah, 54, also told her how crucial it is to remind Kayin that he doesn’t “have to be the father of the house” and can still “be a kid.” Kavin is the same age now that Savannah was when her own father died.
“So I’ve had really had to lean on friends,” Sheinelle continued. “I have another really good girlfriend who lost her father in fifth grade. Like, I’ve had to lean into friends who have had this.”
Savannah Announces Uche’s Death
It was Savannah who first announced Uche’s death to America after his passing.
“With profound sadness, we share this morning that Uche Ojeh, the husband of our dear friend and Today cohost Sheinelle Jones, has passed away after a courageous battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma,” Savannah said on TODAY at the time.
Savannah went on to say that there are “no words” for the pain.
“Uche was an incredible person,” she concluded.
Nancy Guthrie’s Kidnapping
Savannah is now sadly dealing with unimaginable grief once again after the kidnapping of her 84 year-old mother.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on the night of Saturday, January 31. That evening, she had dinner with her daughter Annie and son-in-law Tommaso Cioni. They dropped her off at home afterwards at around 9:45pm, and she tragically hasn’t been seen since.
A masked intruder was captured on Nancy’s doorbell ring camera in the early hours of February 1. He managed to cover the camera with some plants before moving forward with the kidnapping.
It has since been revealed that the masked man had been seen in the doorbell ring camera prior to the night Nancy was taken. This indicates that he may have been casing out her home.
This has clearly been a very difficult past year for the entire TODAY family. Please join us in saying a prayer for Savannah and Sheinelle as they continue to grieve. Please also join us in saying a prayer for the return of Nancy Guthrie.