NEW YORK — NBC’s “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie will make her first appearance back on the morning program Monday, ending a break of more than two months following her mother’s mysterious vanishing in Arizona.
The television personality admits she has been fundamentally changed by the experience and struggles with moving forward without answers about what happened to her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, who law enforcement officials suspect was forcibly taken from her Arizona residence.
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1st, and despite comprehensive search efforts involving thousands of federal agents, local law enforcement, and community volunteers, no trace of the mother of three has been discovered.
During an Easter Sunday video message shared by her New York congregation, Guthrie discussed experiencing “moments of deep disappointment with God, the feeling of utter abandonment.” However, she emphasized that Easter’s celebration remains incomplete “if we do not acknowledge the feelings of loss, pain, and yes, death.”
The veteran broadcaster expressed uncertainty about whether she would feel comfortable resuming her television duties.
“It’s hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness,” Guthrie explained during her first on-air interview since the incident just over a week ago. “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.”
Having served as a “Today” show co-anchor since 2012, Guthrie has become one of morning television’s most familiar personalities. She stated she won’t pretend to be upbeat during the typically cheerful program, which blends entertainment with serious breaking news coverage.
Considerable uncertainty had surrounded whether she would return to broadcasting.
“I want to smile, and when I do it will be real,” she explained to Hoda Kotb, who returned to temporarily replace Guthrie while she concentrated on the search efforts. “Being there is joyful, and when it’s not I’ll say so.”
Nancy Guthrie had appeared on “Today” several times throughout the years, participating in cooking segments and making surprise visits to see her daughter on set.
During a 2025 hometown visit to Tucson for a show segment, mother and daughter dined at a beloved local restaurant while discussing their shared affection for Arizona.
The family has posted a $1 million reward for information that leads to Nancy Guthrie’s safe return.
Law enforcement believes Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped or forcibly removed after discovering blood evidence near her home’s entrance in the Tucson foothills area. Federal investigators subsequently released surveillance footage showing a masked individual on her porch that evening.
Search crews and volunteers combed through the surrounding desert landscape of cacti, brush, and rocky terrain during the initial weeks following her disappearance.
However, public focus has diminished regarding an investigation that officials had designated as their highest priority. Investigators haven’t shared new evidence in recent weeks and report a decline in tip submissions. Both the FBI and Pima County Sheriff’s Department confirmed late last week they had no new developments to announce.
Initially, some news organizations reported receiving ransom demands connected to the case. Guthrie revealed that she and her siblings responded to two messages they considered legitimate and agreed to make payments.
Guthrie acknowledged that her fame might have motivated her mother’s abduction, calling that possibility “too much to bear.”
