Moving to a new town comes with its own set of challenges, however, friends make the process all the easier. Jenna Bush Hager recently opened up about how Savannah Guthrie stepped in during the TV host’s adjustment period and became more than a “work friend” over time.
© Getty ImagesJenna and Savannah started off as “work friends”
Jenna’s initial “priority” with the big move with her husband Henry Hager, was to focus on their kids Mila, 11, Poppy, eight, and Hal, four, feeling comfortable in their new home in Fairfield County, Connecticut. At the time, Jenna had already felt fulfilled with her big friend group and told her husband: “I don’t need more [friends].” Jenna’s mindset drastically shifted two years later, after she and her family settled in. She revealed: “My town just felt like…a town. Not even one I truly lived in. It had no soul,” per Jenna’s Voices at the Table blog post on Substack.
© Getty ImagesThey got closer after Jenna moved to Connecticut
The TV host decided to try out new hobbies and got quickly addicted to the game mahjong, thanks to Savannah, who started out as just a colleague. They began to meet up to play and Jenna expressed: “Work friends are a great gift…and after a while, the disclaimer ‘work’ gets dropped and [we] became friends.” And in addition to Savannah, the TV host made even more friends due to her new love for the game.
Jenna strongly believes that if you’re yearning for “more connection” because she argues, “we all know we need it,” she advised that finding your tribe “can’t come only through the internet,” but instead, through eye-to-eye interactions. The TODAY host recommended: “So take up a hobby. Call a friend. Make a dinner date. Get a gym partner. Go for walks after work. Start a book club (meeting and FALLING in love with authors is another way my world is more dynamic. Make it a priority.”
© Getty ImagesThe two started playing mahjong together
She explained that friendship deeply “matters” because: “According to a CDC report published in 2024, about 24.1% of U.S. adults said they lacked the social and emotional support they needed. We are living in a lonely, soulless time.” Jenna emphasized just how vital having friendships is to her and added: “This is a case for making sure we hang onto those we love—and for making new friends—because we need those relationships like air.”
© Getty ImagesThe duo love spending time together
The TODAY show host explained that you’re never too old to make new friends, and she’s excited that thanks to her job, she is able to constantly make connections. She revealed: “Every week for 10 months, I have met someone new… and by day two, I’d hoped they would never leave. I fell in love fifty times over. It has proven to me that it is never too late to meet people who feel like you’ve known them forever.” Savannah reported on Jenna’s wedding in 2008 for NBC News. Jenna became a TODAY co-host in 2009 and then Savannah joined the team in 2012.
