Savannah Guthrie is set to return to the "Today" show on Monday, April 6, nearly eight weeks after stepping away from her co-anchor duties when her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing. Guthrie, who has been a fixture on the morning program since 2012, said in an interview with Hoda Kotb that she felt compelled to come back to the show because it is like a "greater family" and a place of "joy and lightness" she needs in this moment.
In the March 27 interview, Guthrie acknowledged the emotional difficulty of returning so soon after her mother's disappearance. "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," she told Kotb. Guthrie added that when she is able to smile on air, it will be "real," calling her joy "my protest" and "my answer." She also admitted uncertainty about whether she will "belong anymore," but said she wanted to try.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen on Saturday, Jan. 31, and family members told police they realized she was missing the following day when she failed to appear at a friend's home. The Pima County Sheriff's Department has said investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was taken from her home against her will. Law enforcement has described the search as an active investigation, though public updates have become less frequent in recent weeks.
Savannah Guthrie temporarily stepped away from the program after the disappearance to focus on her family. In late March she urged the public to continue providing any information that could assist investigators. On March 22 the anchor shared a family statement asking for "renewed attention" to the case and requesting that anyone review camera footage, journal notes, text messages, observations or conversations that might, in hindsight, be significant.
The public is being asked to direct any tips to the FBI or local authorities. Authorities have provided several contact options: 1-800-CALL-FBI, tips.fbi.gov, the Pima County Sheriff's Department at 520-351-4900, and the regional crime tip line 88-CRIME.
Guthrie's return will rejoin her with the "Today" roster that includes Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly, Jenna Bush Hager, Dylan Dreyer, Sheinelle Jones and Willie Geist. The program airs live Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET on NBC and streams on TODAY.com, the TODAY app and the show's social platforms.
Her planned comeback marks a high-profile moment for the long-running morning show as it supports one of its most prominent anchors through a personal crisis that has drawn widespread public attention. Investigators continue to work the case in Arizona, and Guthrie has repeatedly asked viewers and those with information to come forward as the search for her mother continues.