Savannah Guthrie is scheduled to make her return to the “Today” show on Monday, April 6, even as the search for her missing mother continues.
This update was shared during the second part of Guthrie’s interview with Hoda Kotb on “Today,” which aired on Friday. It was an emotional segment where Guthrie opened up for the first time about her mother, Nancy, who has been missing since February 1. Her case is being treated as a presumed kidnapping by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI has also joined the investigation, though no suspects have been identified or apprehended.
In her conversation with Kotb, Guthrie expressed her difficulty in imagining a return to the show, describing it as “such a place of joy and lightness.”
She shared, “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. And my joy will be my protest.”
Following the broadcast, Guthrie’s return was confirmed by the “Today” team, including Craig Melvin, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker, Jenna Bush Hager, and Dylan Dreyer. Melvin expressed, “It is where she belongs. It is where we all want her to be. We cannot wait to welcome her back with open arms here in Studio 1E.”
In her discussion with Kotb, Guthrie likened her “Today” co-anchors to family, emphasizing the importance of being with family during challenging times.
She continued, “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.’”
In the earlier segment aired on Friday, Guthrie pledged not to let sorrow prevail despite the unresolved case and unanswered questions surrounding her mother’s disappearance.
“I will not fall apart. I will not let whoever did this take my children’s mother from them. I will not let them take my joy,” she declared.
She added, “But our anguish is real. We need help. We need someone to tell the truth. I have no anger in my heart. I have hope in my heart, I have love. But this family needs peace. We need an answer, and someone has it in their power to help. It is never too late, and when you do, the warmth of love and forgiveness that will come will be greater than can be imagined. I know what is to be forgiven, and there is no greater joy. And that joy awaits.”
In the first part of the interview, which was broadcast on Thursday, Guthrie became emotional as she contemplated whether her public profile might have contributed to her mother’s disappearance. She described this notion as “too much to bear.”
She recounted asking her brother, “do you think it’s because of me?” His response was, “Well, I’m sorry sweetie, but yeah, maybe.” Guthrie admitted she had considered this possibility, though they still lack clarity. She reflected, “Honestly, we don’t know anything. So I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, ‘Oh, that lady has money, we can make a quick buck.’ I mean, that would make sense, but we don’t know… To think that I brought this to her bedside, that it’s because of me. And I just have to say, I’m so sorry, mommy. I am so sorry. I’m sorry to my sister and my brother and my kids and my nephew and Tommy, my brother-in-law. I’m so sorry. If it is me, I’m so sorry.”
Guthrie also addressed the widespread social media speculation suggesting her family’s involvement in Nancy’s disappearance, labeling such claims as “unbearable” and noting they “pile pain upon pain.”
“No one took better care of my mom than my sister and brother-in-law. No one protected my mom more than my brother. And we love her and she is our shining light, she’s our matriarch. She’s all we have,” Guthrie affirmed.
