When is Savannah Guthrie returning to the ‘Today’ show?
Amid the desperate search for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy, sources say the “Today” show host is expected to return to work, although when that will happen is anything but certain.
The veteran television personality left the NBC airwaves after her 84-year-old mother was reported missing from her southern Arizona home on February 1. Nearly four weeks later, investigators continue to search for Nancy and those responsible for her kidnapping.
Immediately afterward, Sheinelle Jones, who co-hosts the fourth hour of “Today” with Jenna Bush Hager, joined co-anchor Craig Melvin for the 7-9 a.m. block before Hoda Kotb stepped in. Kotb, who previously co-hosted with Guthrie for seven years, returned to his former acting role after leaving the series in early 2025.
According to Variety, it’s unclear when Guthrie will return to her duties on the morning show, although it appears she’s been given enough freedom to take the time off she needs. A source familiar with the matter said she is expected to return on her own schedule, even if it means a significant absence.
Still, producers must figure out how to fill Guthrie’s role indefinitely, while also being careful about how they cover a major national story involving one of their own.
Katie Couric, who co-hosted “Today” from 1991 to 2006, said in a recent interview that given the “unprecedented” circumstances, she is confident that everyone at “Today” is doing “the best they can.”
“When something happens to one member of these close-knit teams, it’s devastating, I think, for everyone,” she said, according to Variety. “It must be excruciating to try to move on, but also to tell the story of a beloved colleague.”
Guthrie is currently with his siblings in Tucson, where they grew up, hoping their mother will come home. She and her family are offering a $1 million reward for information leading to her rescue or recovery.
Guthrie announced the offer in a video posted online Tuesday, in which she acknowledged the tragic possibility that Nancy “could be lost” but said the family “still believes”[s] in a miracle.
Guthrie joined NBC News in 2007 as a legal analyst before becoming a White House correspondent in 2008. She was a contributor to “Today” before returning to co-host the show at 7 a.m. in 2012.
