Savannah Guthrie Returns to ‘Today’ While Mother Remains Missing, Calls It a “Hard” Decision

Savannah Guthrie is scheduled to return to the Today Show on April 6. The 54-year-old television presenter has been away from the NBC show since February, when her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was first reported missing.

Last week, Savannah gave her very first interview since Nancy's suspected kidnapping, as she spoke with her co-host and friend Hoda Kotb. In the second part of the exclusive Today interview that aired on March 27, Savannah addressed her plans to return to the show amid her personal tragedy, explaining that it is a "hard" decision.

A visibly sad Savannah told Kotb that she does not know "how to come back" or "how not to come back" to the show, which she said is the "answer to all of my dreams — better than my dreams."

"It's hard to imagine [coming back] because it's such a place of joy and lightness. I can't come back and try to be something I'm not, but I can't not come back because it's my family. I think part of my purpose now. 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," Savannah said, according to The Mirror US.

Savannah also noted that she will "not be the same" person she once was before the tragic incident, but added that she would like to try. "I don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I'll belong anymore, but I would like to try. And I'm not going to be the same. But maybe it's like that old poem: 'More beautiful in the broken places," the co-host said.

She further talked about her visit to the Today show studio last month. "I really wanted to come see everybody," she said, acknowledging all the people who have showered love and support for her during the difficult time - be it the ones who appear on screen, or the ones who work behind the scenes.

She also shared that the notes and messages of support from her colleagues at NBC made her emotional. "They're my family too," she said.

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her Catalina Hills residence outside Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, 2026, after she failed to attend a scheduled church service. Since then, authorities have continued their hunt. However, they have not named any suspects or made any arrests yet.

During the first half of her exclusive interview with Kotb, Savannah expressed regret and worry, revealing guilt that her fame might be the reason behind her mother's abduction. "To think that I brought this to her bedside, that it's because of me. I'd just say, 'I'm so sorry, Mommy. I'm so sorry," she said, blaming herself for the tragedy.

Since their mother's disappearance, the NBC anchor and her siblings have shared several videos online, making appeals to Nancy's potential abductor. They have offered a $1 million reward for any information that helps bring Nancy back, in addition to the FBI's $100,000 reward.