TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, a magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown Law who once topped the Arizona Bar Exam, left Willie Geist completely dumbfounded when he discovered that she hadn’t exactly ruled the roost in her teenage years.
“I was shocked to learn just this morning, in our meeting, that you, Savannah Guthrie, the brilliant Savannah Guthrie, one of our great broadcasters, were a terrible high school student,” Willie teased his NBC colleague on Sept. 3.
“She wasn’t good,” he added, shooting a playful look directly into the camera.
Savannah didn’t deny it, admitting, “I was a high school slacker. People don’t really believe it,” she said, before the segment cut to a picture of an old report card.
“Can we push in on the grades here?” Willie joked.
According to the transcript, Savannah was not exaggerating. In 10th grade, her grades showed she clearly needed to crack the books:
Biology: C+
Spanish: D
Public Speaking: B-
Tennis: C-
Intermediate Algebra: C
Advanced Sophomore English: C
Savannah was quick to point out that a teacher had noted her “positive attitude,” that she “works hard,” and that she had been “showing improvement.”
Charles Guthrie, Savannah’s father, passed away from a heart attack when she was 16. During her conversation with Willie, Savannah said she went through a “period of time” when she had “excessive absences,” although she didn’t directly link it to her dad’s death.
“That report card does not line up with the person I know,” Willie assured her. “So there’s hope for all you students.”
“It’s never too late it turn it around,” Savannah agreed.
During a 2024 interview with ET, Savannah described herself as “under- motivated” in high school, confessing that she would sometimes skip class to smoke cigarettes at Carl’s Jr.
She also rebelled through her wardrobe.
“Some days I was goth when I borrowed my sister’s clothes,” Savannah said. “And then other days I was just really into wearing boxer shorts!”
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