Savannah Guthrie is officially back on Today as the search for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, continues.
Savannah made her highly anticipated return to the NBC morning show on Monday, April 6. Savannah joined Craig Melvin at the Studio 1A anchor desk for the first time since January 30.
“Good morning. Welcome to Today on this Monday morning. We are so glad you started your week with us. And it is good to be home,” Savannah said at the top of the episode. Melvin added, “Yes. It is good to have you back at home. So good to have you back.”
The pair, who proceeded to jump into the day’s biggest news headlines, both sported yellow outfits. Amid Nancy’s disappearance, the Today hosts have sported yellow clothing and yellow ribbon pins to show their support for the Guthrie family. The Today set has also been decorated with yellow floral arrangements.
Two months ago, the February 2 episode of Today began with the breaking news that Nancy had disappeared from her Arizona home. She was last seen on January 31 and was reported missing the following day.
The following day, NBC announced that Savannah would no longer travel to Italy to cover the 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. Melvin and Hoda Kotb also dropped out of their respective Olympics coverage roles, while NBC Sports reporter Mary Carillo took Savannah’s place during the Opening Ceremony alongside co-hosts Terry Gannon and Shaun White.
Kotb — who previously exited Today in January 2025 — served as Savannah’s primary replacement amid her absence, while Sheinelle Jones and Laura Jarrett also filled in for the anchor. Both Kotb and Jones were absent from Today the entirety of last week. While Jones took time off to spend spring break with her children, the reason for Kotb’s absence was not revealed. (Jarrett took over Kotb’s hosting duties from Monday, March 30, through Friday, April 3.)
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The Guthrie family have been cleared as suspects in the investigation, but authorities have yet to name any potential leads. Key pieces of evidence include blood found on the front porch of Nancy’s home and footage of a masked suspect with a weapon captured on her home security cameras.
In a February 24 Instagram video, Savannah admitted that Nancy may already be “gone” and announced that her family is offering a reward of up to $1 million in exchange for information about Nancy’s whereabouts.
Prior to her Today return, Savannah expressed her intention to return to her anchor role while visiting the studio in March. She also sat down with Kotb for an emotional two-part interview on Today, during which she recalled her brother, Camron Guthrie, suggesting that Nancy was kidnapped for ransom. “I said, ‘What?’ I mean, it sounds, like, how could dumb could I be? But I didn’t want to believe it,” she recalled . “I said, ‘Do you think because of me?’ And he said, ‘I’m sorry, sweetie, but yeah, maybe.’”
Savannah continued, “To think that I brought this to her bedside, that it’s because of me — and I just say, ‘I’m so sorry, Mommy. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry to my sister [Annie Guthrie] and my brother, and my kids and my nephew, and Tommy [Cioni], my brother-in-law.’ I’m just, like, so sorry.”
Savannah also admitted that it was “hard” to imagine returning to Today as the investigation remains open. “I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not. But I can’t not come back because it’s my family. I think it’s part of my purpose right now,” she told Kotb. “I want to smile, and when I do, it will be real. And my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer, and being there is joyful. And when it’s not, I’ll say so.”
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