Let’s talk about love, life, and everything in between. Savannah Guthrie, the beloved cohost of Today, has been happily married to Mike Feldman since March 2014. In fact, she even took some well-deserved time off in 2024 to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary. But here's the thing: Mike isn’t Savannah’s first husband. Before finding her happily-ever-after with Mike, Savannah was once married to a man named Mark Orchard. Let’s dive into who he is, how they met, and what happened next.
Meet Mark Orchard: Savannah Guthrie's First Husband
Mark Orchard is a seasoned journalist with an impressive career spanning several decades. Currently, he works as a senior broadcast producer for Full Measure With Sharyl Attkisson, an investigative news program that digs deep into the stories that matter. But Mark’s journey in journalism didn’t start there. Hailing from London, he first made waves as a White House correspondent during former President George W. Bush’s first term, traveling alongside the press corps from 2000 to 2004. After that, he joined Al Jazeera English as a senior news editor from 2006 to 2013, eventually moving into a role as an executive producer for Al Jazeera America until 2016. Talk about a globe-trotting career!
How Did Savannah Guthrie and Mark Orchard Cross Paths?
Life has a funny way of bringing people together, and for Savannah and Mark, it happened on the job. Back in 2002, Savannah passed the Arizona bar exam and worked as a litigation associate. That experience led her to Court TV, where she became the national trial correspondent, covering high-profile cases like the infamous Michael Jackson child molestation trial in 2005. It was during this time that Savannah and Mark crossed paths. Mark was covering the same trial for BBC News. Interestingly, Mark was already married to New York Times reporter Anne Kornblut at the time. They had been together for eight years before eventually parting ways. Less than a year after meeting, Savannah and Mark decided to take the plunge and got married in December 2005.
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The End of a Chapter: When Did Savannah and Mark Divorce?
Unfortunately, not every love story has a fairy-tale ending. After less than four years of marriage, Savannah filed for divorce in 2009. According to court documents obtained by Radar Online, Savannah revealed that she had been living separately from Mark in an apartment in Washington, D.C., since 2008. In her filing, Savannah requested that her last name be changed back to Guthrie, dropping “Orchard.” However, she didn’t ask for any alimony or spousal support. While Savannah has kept most of the details about their relationship private, she has opened up about her personal growth over the years, particularly in relation to her current marriage with Mike. In a 2020 interview with People, Savannah reflected on her life choices, saying, “I was doing the best I could in my personal life, and my professional life was going better. So you just keep doing the thing that works.”
Lessons Learned: Savannah's Journey to Finding Love Again
Life is all about growth, and Savannah has certainly gone through her share of ups and downs. She’s spoken openly about the reasons behind her decision to start a family later in life with Mike, hinting that she wasn’t quite ready for that chapter of her life during her first marriage. It’s clear that Savannah has come into her own, both personally and professionally, and she’s now living her best life with Mike by her side. As she told People, sometimes you just have to keep moving forward and trust that things will fall into place.
