Savannah Guthrie Rejoins ‘Today’ as Co-Host After Her Mother’s Disappearance: “I’m Happy to Be Back”
Savannah Guthrie Returns to "Today" Amid Family Crisis
Savannah Guthrie resumed her role as co-host of NBC’s Today on Monday, making her first appearance since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing. Following a brief rundown of the day’s headlines, Guthrie expressed her joy at being back, saying, “We are so glad you started your week with us, and it is good to be home.” Her co-host, Craig Melvin, welcomed her back, noting, “Yes, it is good to have you back at home.”
Guthrie promptly shifted the focus to the news, stating, “Well, here we go, ready or not. Let’s do the news.” Later, she interviewed Steve Warren, a retired colonel and military analyst for NBC News, discussing the rescue of an American airman in Iran.
During a segment outside later in the show, Guthrie fought back tears as she reflected on the supportive signs and messages from fans welcoming her return. “These signs are so beautiful. You guys have been so beautiful. I received so many letters. So much kindness to me and my whole family. We feel it. We feel your prayers,” she said.
Guthrie’s previous appearance on Today was in late January, shortly before her mother was last seen on January 31, when a friend dropped her off at her home in Tucson. Nancy was reported missing the following day. In the aftermath, authorities released footage of a masked individual at her front door but have yet to identify any suspects. The FBI has also investigated several ransom notes, believing at least two may be credible.
In a recent interview with her former co-host Hoda Kotb, Guthrie spoke about her internal struggle returning to the show during such a tumultuous time. “It’s hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness, and 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 shared.
Guthrie emphasized her desire for genuine joy, stating, “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 will say so.”
On Sunday, her parish, Good Shepherd New York, featured a seven-minute Easter message from Guthrie, where she spoke on the theme of hope amid suffering. “Our faith gives us a spiritual conviction that we will be reborn, that God will redeem this pain, that every tear will be wiped away, that our Easter is coming,” she said. Despite the ongoing turmoil, she acknowledged the powerful interplay of light and darkness in the human experience.
“Perhaps this is too dark a message to share on Easter morning,” Guthrie reflected, “but I have long believed that we miss out on fully celebrating Resurrection if we do not acknowledge the feelings of loss, pain, and yes, death. It is the darkness that makes this morning’s light so magnificent, so blindingly beautiful.”
