Savannah Guthrie returned to the ‘Today’ show anchor desk Monday, looking poised and focused in her first broadcast in more than two months after her mother disappeared. After delivering a few headlines, she briefly addressed the audience, saying that she was happy to start the week with them and that it was nice to be back.
As the show began, Guthrie said, “Here it is, ready or not,” adding, “Let’s make news.”
“We’re so glad you started our week with us and it’s good to be home,” she mentioned.
Her co-host, Craig Melvin, welcomed her return to the air and said it was good to have her back. At the end of the show’s first 25-minute segment, the two shared a light high-five moment.
Guthrie, who has hosted the show since 2012, is one of the most distinctive figures on morning television. She said the experience changed her deeply and acknowledged that it is difficult to move forward without knowing what happened to her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who authorities believe was abducted from her home in Arizona.
Despite a massive search involving thousands of federal and local officials along with volunteers, the 84-year-old woman has not been reported missing since February 1.
The “Today” program has covered the case in detail over the past two months, but it didn’t figure prominently in the discussion during the first hour of Savannah Guthrie’s return Monday.
The decision appeared to be deliberate as the show focused on restoring a sense of normalcy, her comeback not mentioned during segments with Gabe Gutierrez reporting from the White House or with military analyst Steve Warren in studio, according to the AP.
Meanwhile, Hoda Kotb, who has represented Guthrie for much of the past two months and even interviewed her during that time, was not present for the taping of Monday’s broadcast.
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What did Savannah say in her Easter message?
In a video message shared by her New York church on Easter Sunday, Savannah Guthrie spoke openly about experiencing “a moment of deep disappointment in God, a sense of complete abandonment.” She reflected that the meaning of the resurrection cannot be fully understood without first facing feelings of sorrow, pain, and even death.
When announcing her return to “Today,” Guthrie admitted she wasn’t sure she’d feel like she still belonged.
“It’s hard to imagine doing that because it’s such a place of joy and lightness,” she mentioned on the “Today” show more than a week ago during her first interview since disappearing. “I can’t go back and try to be something I’m not. But I can’t not go back because it’s my family,” she said.
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She also stated that she has no plans to pretend that everything is normal on the show, which typically mixes light-hearted segments with serious news.
In the weeks leading up to her comeback, there was considerable speculation as to whether she would return at all.
She informed Hoda Kotb, who returned to “Today” to fill in while Guthrie was involved in the search, that “I want to smile, and when I do, it’s real,” noting, “It’s a joy to be there, and if I’m not, I’ll say it.”
Nancy Guthrie has made occasional appearances on the “Today” show over the years, including participating in a cooking segment and once surprising her daughter on set.
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During a 2025 visit to her hometown of Tucson for a taped segment, Savannah Guthrie spent time with her mother at one of their favorite local restaurants, where they talked about their shared affection for Arizona.
Nancy Guthrie missing case
The Guthrie family has since announced a $1 million reward for information that could help locate Nancy. Authorities believe she was abducted or forcibly taken after blood was discovered at the entrance to her home in the foothills outside Tucson.
The FBI later released surveillance footage of a masked person on her front porch that night.
In the days following her disappearance, volunteers and search teams combed the surrounding desert landscape, which is full of cacti, scrub and rocky terrain.
However, the pace of the case has slowed. Although it was initially considered a top-priority investigation by federal and local authorities, there have been no new developments in recent weeks and officials say tips from the public have dwindled. Both the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed last week that they had no developments to share.
