Savannah Guthrie is returning to NBC’s Today show on Monday for the first time in over two months since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing from her Arizona home. Guthrie described the experience as emotionally challenging, acknowledging that she has changed profoundly since the disappearance.
Authorities believe Nancy Guthrie, 84, was abducted against her will on February 1. Despite a large-scale search involving federal and local law enforcement as well as volunteers, there has been no sign of her. The family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to her safe recovery.
In a video message released by her New York church on Easter Sunday, Guthrie shared moments of despair and questioned her faith, saying she felt “utter abandonment” but emphasized that the resurrection cannot be fully celebrated without acknowledging loss, pain, and death.
Speaking about her return to Today, Guthrie admitted uncertainty over whether she’ll feel at ease back on the show. “It’s hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness,” she said during her first interview since her mother vanished. “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.”
Guthrie, a co-anchor on Today since 2012, vowed authenticity in her return, stating she will not force smiles. “I want to smile, and when I do it will be real,” she told Hoda Kotb, who covered her absence on the show.
Over the years, Nancy Guthrie occasionally appeared on Today, participating in segments and surprising her daughter on set. Savannah and her mother shared a close bond, highlighted during a 2025 visit to Tucson for a recorded segment where they enjoyed time together at a favorite local restaurant.
Investigators believe Nancy Guthrie was abducted after blood was found near her doorstep in Tucson’s foothills, and surveillance footage captured a masked man on her porch. Early reports suggested possible ransom attempts, which the family addressed, but investigators have not released new information in weeks.
The case remains a top priority for the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, but public attention has waned. Guthrie reflected on the difficulty of confronting the possibility that her celebrity may have played a role in her mother’s disappearance, calling the thought “too much to bear.”
