Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb

This is Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb’s moment, and they have both spent years working to get here. Neither are overnight sensations. They’ve both been at NBC quite a long time, as have I. These are hardworking journalists who worked their way up from the bottom. They are both survivors, and they are both wonderful. They’re wonderful on their own, and they’re even more wonderful as a team.

I knew Savannah and Hoda individually before they were a team. I admired, respected and enjoyed each of them. That’s why it’s such a joy for me to watch them work together now. They know that they’re stronger together than they are apart. They are two people who genuinely like spending time together—professionally and personally.

Savannah and Hoda got into television news because they are newswomen at their core. They can handle an interview, handle a crisis, handle breaking news and handle pop culture. We all know that morning shows can be fun, but you get the sense that when news breaks, neither one of these women will.

Shriver is an author, journalist and a former First Lady of California