Jenna Bush Hager threatens to text Savannah Guthrie after co-host's on-air slip

Julianna Salinas Fri, August 7, 2026 at 10:59 PM UTC

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Willie Geist was the guest co-host on Jenna & Sheinelle (Image: NBC)

Jenna Bush Hager was taken aback by something her Today Show co-host Willie Geist revealed during the Aug. 7 episode of the popular daytime program.

While serving as a guest co-host on Today with Jenna and Sheinelle, the 51-year-old disclosed that his wife, Christina Sharkey, organizes a weekly mahjong night with a group of friends, leaving Jenna stunned. The traditional Chinese tile game has surged in popularity in the U.S. in recent years, with increasing numbers of Americans embracing the pastime, including Today anchor Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, who has been missing since February 2026.

This comes after Savannah Guthrie's statement following the release of Nancy Guthrie ransom notes.

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During the live segment, Willie referenced his wife's weekly mahjong night, catching Jenna off guard. "What? Wait ... excuse me?" she questioned Willie with a surprised expression.

Recognizing his mistake in not offering the invitation, Willie attempted to backtrack by explaining, "It's local, so far. We haven't expanded out," to which Jenna responded, "Uh, I live within a 20-minute radius!"

Jenna was visibly stunned by Willie's slip-up (Image: NBC)

Attempting to recover from the gaffe, he committed to inviting her to join the next game night. Addressing Christina by her nickname, the 44-year-old television personality called out to her longtime friend to voice her frustrations over the snub.

"Teeny? Teeny," Jenna began, "I'd like to just say, who introduced you to mahjong? It was me! Who taught you the Charleston and such? Call me!"

Jenna then called out Willie after he "slipped that out," as he agreed, "Yeah, I couldn't get it back," referring to the weekly gathering as a "big social night," to which Jenna sarcastically questioned, "Oh? How big is this?"

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Savannah Guthrie's mother played mahjong (Image: Facebook)

Leaning into the gag, Willie teased, "There are hundreds of women! She doesn't even know most of them. It's just an open invite. She puts it on social media. No, no, no."

Jenna then threatened to contact their longtime friend and colleague, Savannah Guthrie, who is currently taking a break from her desk. "I'm gonna text Savannah right after this. I'm glad my phone ringer's on," she joked.

Jenna and Savannah previously featured in a mahjong segment in August 2025, which showcased Savannah's mother, Nancy, who displayed her personal mahjong set that her late husband, Charles, had purchased for her in Singapore.

At the time, Savannah said, "It's been such a fun bonding thing because my mom, so when I went to see her a couple of months ago in Arizona, she invited her mahjong ladies over and we all played and we had a great time."

She continued, "And now my mom is teaching some of the younger girls in her world how to do mahjong."

Nancy, 84, has been missing since Feb. 1, and is presumed to have been abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home after investigators found evidence of a struggle and recovered images of a masked person holstering a firearm from the house's doorbell camera.

Savannah and the Today Show crew have urged viewers to share any details regarding Nancy's location as the search for her remains ongoing.

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Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”