Savannah Guthrie to Return to Today Show as Search for Mother Continues

“Joy will be my protest,” said Savannah Guthrie, who will return as co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” show on April 6 after a nearly two-month hiatus prompted by the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, in an interview aired Friday.

Speaking with colleague Hoda Kotb, Guthrie said it’s hard to imagine returning to a place of joy and lightness, but she’s willing to try, although she admits she’s not sure she can do it or whether she’ll belong there anymore.

“I can’t go back and try to be something I’m not. But I can’t go back because they’re my family,” Guthrie said. “I think that’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile, and when I do that, it will be real and my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my response. And it’s joyful to be there, and when it’s not, I’ll say it.”

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her home in Arizona on February 1. Authorities believe she was abducted, kidnapped or otherwise taken against her will. The FBI released surveillance video of a masked man outside Guthrie’s front door in Tucson the night he disappeared. Authorities have not made the new evidence public for weeks.

The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to their mother’s recovery.

Savannah Guthrie, who has hosted NBC’s morning show since 2012, has withdrawn from covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which began just days after her mother’s disappearance.

Abductions are rare. The vast majority of people reported missing are believed to be fugitives, not abductees or abductees. More than 530,000 missing persons records were entered through 2024, the last year for which the National Crime Information Center published data. Of the hundreds of thousands of cases filed in 2024, approximately 95% are believed to be evaded, with only 1% listed as evaded.

Savannah Guthrie acknowledged that her mother was among the missing and donated to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. On Thursday, the organization highlighted the cases of three children who went missing in Arizona: Jimmy Hendrickson in 1991, Karen Grajeda in 1996 and Jesse Florez in 2001.

In the statement made by the center, it was said, “We invite everyone to be vigilant.” “It’s the public’s responsibility to keep their eyes open. You never know when the next clue will be the one that brings someone home.”

The Pima County Sheriff’s Office said Friday that tips about Nancy Guthrie are still coming in, but the rate has decreased. The FBI said it no longer discloses the number of tips it receives daily as part of the investigation. Portions of Kotb’s interview with Savannah Guthrie aired over several days this week. In the videos, Guthrie said that he and his siblings knew their mother would not leave, given her health condition, and that the doors to her home were open. Authorities also found blood and a missing camera near the doorway.

Some media outlets reported receiving ransom notes in the case. Guthrie and his brothers responded to two people they believed were real and offered to pay money. Guthrie said his mother’s abduction may have been because she was famous, but the possibility was “too much to bear.”

He pleaded for information once again, saying the family could not be at peace or move towards recovery without knowing what happened to their mother.

“How can someone disappear without a trace?” Guthrie asked. “How? Someone knows something. Even if someone’s been acting weird for the last seven or eight weeks. Even if it’s just that. Someone knows. Maybe someone is afraid and I understand that, but our hearts are in pain.”