Savannah Guthrie shows grace, determination on 'TODAY'
Savannah Guthrie shows grace, determination on 'TODAY'
Patrick Ryan, USA TODAYFri, April 10, 2026 at 2:27 PM UTC
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NEW YORK – Savannah Guthrie’s first week back could’ve been a media circus.
But the “TODAY” anchor was a paradigm of grace and resolve as she returned to the news desk that she’s occupied for nearly 15 years on the NBC morning show.
All eyes have been on Guthrie since the tragic disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, who was last seen Jan. 31 when she was dropped off by family members at her home just north of Tucson, Ariz.
The mysterious case has no publicly-known leads or suspects after more than two months, which were marked by Guthrie’s emotional pleas on social media and a heartbreakingly candid interview with former “TODAY” anchor Hoda Kotb.
More: Willie Geist fetes 10 years of 'Sunday Today,' Savannah Guthrie's return
Savannah Guthrie, left, and Craig Melvin during the April 6 episode of "TODAY" in New York.
But as USA TODAY critic Kelly Lawler noted earlier this week, the Guthrie family’s personal pain mostly took a backseat in her first shows back. Instead, Guthrie carried on business as usual for the cameras: participating in lighthearted watercooler discussions about the Backstreet Boys and Bad Bunny, and jokingly comparing a meteor to a laser pointer as it darted across Northeastern skies.
She similarly wasted no time in ribbing her co-anchor, Craig Melvin, who accidentally revealed a surprise celebrity cameo in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” during the April 8 episode.
“This is why you cannot tell Craig anything!” Guthrie quipped, smiling. “Why don’t you read my journal while you’re at it?”
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1 / 0Savannah Guthrie returns to the 'Today' show after mother's kidnapping
Savannah Guthrie returns to the "Today" show on Monday, April 6 for the first time since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1.Savannah Guthrie has been a main co‑anchor of NBC’s "Today" show since 2012.
Some credit must be given to NBC for choosing not to exploit Guthrie’s family tragedy after her return to the show, in spite of a sharp ratings spike in the weeks following her mother's disappearance. Although it was her "welcome back" week, new clips of Guthrie are almost nonexistent on the "TODAY" social pages.
According to reports from In Touch Weekly and New York Post's Page Six, the network advised staffers to support Guthrie without overwhelming her, in an effort give her some space as she eased back into the job.
Despite the low-key approach, the outpouring of love for Guthrie was on full display during her first episode back April 6. On the unseasonably cold spring morning, Guthrie was greeted by a small but passionate group of fans with signs and t-shirts emblazoned with pictures of Nancy and messages of support. Everyone wore stickers of yellow ribbons – a symbol of hope and support for missing persons.
Walking onto the “TODAY” plaza arm in arm with a tearful Jenna Bush Hager, Guthrie was clearly overwhelmed by the crowd’s compassion, and she spent ample time hugging and speaking with audience members. It was a notable reprieve from the true-crime influencers and looky-loos that have surrounded Nancy's Tucson house.
“It is good to be home,” Guthrie said at the top of the April 6 broadcast, wearing a canary-yellow lace dress. “Well, here we go. Ready or not, let’s do the news.”
Guthrie’s “TODAY” family continues to have her back on and off screen: Her good friend Kotb will return to the show April 13 while Melvin is on vacation, and “Sunday Today” anchor Willie Geist sang her praises in a recent interview.
“We're all just overjoyed that she's back,” Geist told USA TODAY. “To see her in that radiant yellow dress on Monday morning, it felt like a blessing that she was back, and to see her doing what she's so good at, and back in that chair when, who knew, as we're going through this, if she would be able to do that. But, of course she could, because she's Savannah, and she trusts her faith, and she's so strong and smart and good at what she does.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Savannah Guthrie brings poise to 'TODAY' amid mom's kidnapping
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