The cast of TODAY is always in high demand, and sometimes her outside commitments temporarily take her away from the legendary morning show!

Fans who tuned in late for the December 10th episode TODAY I’m sure I noticed something different. Craig Melvin sat next to Hoda Kotb while Savannah Guthrie was nowhere to be found. Don’t worry, Guthrie had a good reason for her absence and made viewers aware of it early in the show.

“Someone needs to leave a little early,” Kotb told her co-host. “This is one of your favorite things to do every year.”

“Yes, we are going to the Dole Foundation Heroes Gala tonight,” Guthrie said. “It celebrates military caregivers, the people who care for our veterans and heroes.”

“Tom Hanks and I are doing our thing again tonight and I’ll see you in the morning.” TODAY with everything,” Guthrie continued.

Guthrie is the official Chief National Hidden Heroes Ambassador and continued to host the event in 2024 along with Hanks, who serves as chairman. The organization’s mission is simple: Empowering and empowering military and veteran caregivers, their families, and their communities by identifying and addressing their key challenges through innovative, practical, and sustainable solutions.

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It’s an outstanding thing to say the least. And true to her word, Guthrie offered a behind-the-scenes look at the event on the December 11 episode:

Guthrie has been heavily involved in the event since 2018.

“Caregiving is a family affair,” Guthrie said. “It’s so important that we support those who support our veterans – this is how we can help provide assistance, too.”

It’s Christmas time – will Savannah Guthrie lose another tooth?

Will Guthrie emerge with his teeth intact in 2024? Fans keep their fingers crossed! (Don’t worry, there’s a story behind this worry.)

During a particularly memorable episode of Watch what happens live with Andy Cohenthe long-standing one TODAY Co-hosts entertained the host with a story about what happened when Guthrie attended one of the infamous shows TODAY Christmas parties.

“When you’re there TODAY “The show Christmas party starts at about 3 p.m., there’s a lot of drinking during the day, I don’t know,” Guthrie explained. “Anyway, everyone left and it ended up being me, Sheinelle (Jones), Dylan (Dreyer)” and Jenna (Bush Hager) – and Laura Jarrett, but she had to go. The next thing I know, when I wake up in the morning I feel like something is missing.

A giddy Kotb couldn’t help but interject.

“I thought, ‘Where is it?’ And I think maybe it was at Pebble Bar because it was gone,” Guthrie continued.

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The funniest part? Guthrie initially did nothing about her mysterious lost tooth – she claimed she waited “weeks” before seeing a dentist.

“Longer than weeks,” Kotb corrected. “I thought to myself, ‘Go to the dentist!'”

To this day, Guthrie doesn’t know how a molar came to fall out of her mouth during an evening of celebratory drinks with her colleagues, and it remains one of the funniest memories for the ladies of TODAY connect.