Savannah Guthrie returned to NBC’s “Today” desk Monday for the first time in more than two months since her mother went missing, keeping the broadcast largely businesslike.
At the top of the show she said, “Here we go, ready or not,” and after headlines added, “we are so glad that you started our week with us and it’s good to be home.” Co‑host Craig Melvin welcomed her back and she exchanged a high‑five with him at the end of the first segment.
Authorities say Guthrie’s 84‑year‑old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was taken from her Arizona home and has been missing since Feb. 1 despite an extensive search involving thousands of federal and local officers and volunteers. Savannah Guthrie has said the experience has changed her and made it hard to move forward without knowing what happened.
NBC’s coverage has followed the case closely, but the disappearance was not mentioned during Guthrie’s first hour back; interviews with White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez and military analyst Steve Warren made no reference to her absence. Hoda Kotb, who filled in for Guthrie much of the past two months and conducted her first post‑disappearance interview, was not on set Monday.
NBC’s coverage has followed the case closely, but the disappearance was not mentioned during Guthrie’s first hour back; interviews with White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez and military analyst Steve Warren made no reference to her absence. Hoda Kotb, who filled in for Guthrie much of the past two months and conducted her first post‑disappearance interview, was not on set Monday.
“Today” has seen a ratings lift in recent months, averaging 3.1 million viewers for the first quarter of the year—up nearly 9%—surpassing ABC’s “Good Morning America,” which averaged about 2.93 million, while “CBS Mornings” fell to 1.76 million, according to Nielsen. NBC’s totals were also aided by February’s Super Bowl and Winter Olympics.
In an Easter video from her New York church, Guthrie spoke of “moments of deep disappointment with God” and feelings of abandonment, and said she wasn’t sure before returning whether she would feel she still belonged on a show she described as “a place of joy and lightness,” but that she could not stay away because the program is her family.
In an Easter video from her New York church, Guthrie spoke of “moments of deep disappointment with God” and feelings of abandonment, and said she wasn’t sure before returning whether she would feel she still belonged on a show she described as “a place of joy and lightness,” but that she could not stay away because the program is her family.