Savannah Guthrie is set to return to the ‘Today’ show on April 6, her first big career move since her mother Nancy went missing nearly two months ago. And the 54-year-old’s colleagues are already a few good things to say about her comeback.
Authorities believ that Nancy was kidnapped, but no suspects have been identified yet. Last month, police released a suveilliance footage showing a masked man outside the 84-year-old’s Tucson home on the night of her abduction.
Hoda Kotb’s 7-word message to Savannah
While Savannah decided to step down from her duties, Hoda Kotb took over. During a recent broadcast, co-host Jenna Bush Hager summed up their feeling with a sweet but striking message to Kotb,”We needed you.”
Kotb echoed that bond, replying: “When we say family, we mean it.”
Craig Melvin also paid tribute to Kotb’s willingness to step in at short notice. “You’ve sat here for a few weeks. You’ve got a lot happening in your life. You’ve got two girls you’re raising by yourself. And when the coach called and they said, ‘We need someone to come in and pinch hit,’ you didn’t bat an eye,” he said.
Savannah Guthrie opens up on emotional struggle
In a deeply personal interview with Kotb, her first since her mother’s disappearance, Guthrie admitted she is unsure what returning will feel like.
“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 said. “I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I’ll belong anymore, but I would like to try. I would like to try.”
The interview, aired across multiple segments, revealed the emotional toll of the ongoing search and her decision to return to New York, where her husband and children remained.
Guilt, fear and a devastating apology
Guthrie also shared her family’s belief that her mother may have been abducted for ransom, while expressing fears that her own public profile could have played a role.
“To think that I brought this to her bedside. That it’s because of me, and I just say, ‘I’m so sorry mommy. I’m 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 just so sorry. I’m so sorry if it is me, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” she said, breaking down during the interview.
Her scheduled return, set for Easter Monday, has not gone unnoticed by colleagues. Al Roker reflected on the timing.
“What’s wonderful, it’s almost symbolic after Easter and the resurrection, the rising, I think as a family we’ll hold hands and help her,” he said.