Savannah Guthrie returns to 'Today' show after mom's disappearance

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY Mon, April 6, 2026 at 11:10 AM UTC

0

Savannah Guthrie is back on the "Today" show.

The journalist made her return to the NBC morning show on Monday, April 6, after being absent for more than two months amid the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Surrounded by viewers wearing yellow ribbon stickers in honor of her mom and fans holding "Welcome back, Savannah" signs on the "Today" plaza, Guthrie read the morning's biggest headlines. "It is good to be home," she went on to tell coanchor Craig Melvin, who said, "It is good to have you back at home."

"Well, here we go. Ready or not, let's do the news," Guthrie added with a smile.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home in Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 1. Authorities in Arizona, who have been searching for the 84-year-old for more than two months, have said they believe she was taken from her home against her will. In February, the FBI released images showing a masked suspect at Guthrie's front door before she disappeared, but the individual in the images has not been identified.

Nancy Guthrie, right, and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie are pictured in an undated photograph.

Savannah Guthrie stepped back from the "Today" show and NBC's Olympics coverage amid the search for her mom. The morning show has provided regular coverage of the case, and Guthrie's colleagues have expressed support for her on the air throughout her absence.

Savannah Guthrie's return comes after first interview with Hoda Kotb

Guthrie recently sat down for her first interview about her mother's disappearance, speaking with Hoda Kotb.

In the emotional conversation, which aired on "Today" in multiple parts beginning on March 26, Guthrie said she and her family are in "agony" and still "don't know anything" about what happened to her mother.

The anchor wondered whether the fact that she is a prominent broadcaster led her mom to be targeted for ransom, and she said she is "so sorry" if this is the case. "[It's] too much to bear, to think that I brought this to her bedside," she said.

Advertisement

Guthrie urged anyone with information to come forward so her family can have peace. "We can't breathe," she said. "We can't live. We can't go on. We can't be at peace. We can't go forward," she said. "We have to know what happened to her."

1 / 0Savannah Guthrie returns to the 'Today' show after mother's kidnapping

Savannah Guthrie has been a main co‑anchor of NBC’s "Today" show since 2012.

The "Today" show cohost returned to Studio 1A Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, after taking a lengthy hiatus to undergo vocal cord surgery. Look back at her career on TV.

Savannah Guthrie said returning to 'Today' is 'part of my purpose'

In the interview, Guthrie also explained her decision to return to "Today."

"It's hard to imagine doing it, because it's such a place of joy and lightness," she said. "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. I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real. My joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful."

Guthrie returned to "Today" one day after Easter, a fact that Al Roker noted when her return date was announced. "It's almost symbolic, after Easter, the resurrection," he said. "I think as a family, we'll hold hands and help her."

Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie on "Today."

Guthrie previously visited the "Today" studio in New York City on March 5, though she did not appear on the air. At the time, NBC confirmed that Guthrie told colleagues she planned to return to the show.

"She said that she has the intention to return to the show, even though it feels like the hardest thing to do, it's also her home, and where she feels so loved, and she is beyond loved here," Jenna Bush Hager said. "And so we're happy that she is home."

Guthrie has been continuing to plead with the public for help in getting answers about her mother's disappearance in recent weeks, as authorities in Arizona have had no breakthroughs in their search. In a statement released on March 21, the family asked for "renewed attention" to the case.

"Someone knows something," the Guthrie family's statement said, addressing Arizonans. "It’s possible a member of this community has information that they do not even realize is significant."

Patrick Ryan and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Savannah Guthrie returns to 'Today' show after mom's disappearance

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”