It’s been over three weeks since Nancy Guthrie, the 84 year-old mother of the TODAY s how host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Last week, we reported that insiders were claiming that Savannah is “never returning to the TODAY show” as her beloved mother remains missing.
Now, however, other sources are claiming that Savannah will be coming back to the TODAY show after all. Indeed, according to these insiders, Savannah is determined to return in her mother’s honor. It seems that she believes that this is what Nancy would want her to do.
Savannah ‘Loves Her Job’
“Her mom sacrificed everything so Savannah could chase this career,” a longtime friend of Savannah’s told Rob Shuter for his Naughty but Nice Substack. “Walking away now would feel like letting the darkness win.”
Another source claimed that while Savannah is devastated, she is also determined.
“She loves her family fiercely. And she loves her job,” this insider explained. “Those two things can coexist. They have to.”
Savannah spent decades working her way up the ladder to eventually become the lead anchor of TODAY in 2012. According to her friends, Savannah is refusing to let this tragedy define the rest of her story.
“They may have taken her mother,” said one insider. “But they will not take her career too.”
At the time of this writing, there’s no specific timeline for when Savannah will actually return.
“It’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be hard,” another source admitted. “But she will be back. In her mom’s honor.”
“For Savannah, returning isn’t about ratings or routine. It’s about resilience,” Shuter explained. “And resilience, those who know her say, is exactly what her mother taught her.”
Nancy Disappears
Nancy was last seen on the night of Saturday, January 31. That evening, she had gone to dinner with her daughter Annie and her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni. They brought her home at around 9:45pm that night, and she has not been seen since. It is believed that Nancy was kidnapped from her home in the early hours of February 1.
Last week, Savannah posted an emotional video to Instagram in which she begged “whoever has her or knows where she is” to come forward.
“It’s been two weeks since our mom was taken,” Savannah said. “And I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope. And we still believe.”
“I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it’s never too late,” she continued. “And you’re not lost or alone, and it is never too late to do the right thing. And we are here, and we believe, and we believe in the essential goodness of every human being.”
“It’s never too late,” she concluded.
In the caption for the video, Savannah wrote, “Bring her home. It’s never too late to do the next right thing.”
Check out Savannah’s full emotional video for yourself below.
NBC ‘Rallying’ Behind Savannah
Hoda Kotb has returned to TODAY to fill in for Savannah in her absence. Kotb had left the show in January of 2025 after 26 years with NBC. The network is taking this situation on a week-by-week basis.
“The entire show and network is rallying together in support of our beloved colleague and friend as we navigate this unimaginable time,” an NBC source told Page Six.
“Everyone at TODAY is taking this day by day, and of course giving Savannah the grace, time and support she needs,” another network insider added.
This has clearly been an extremely tragic and horrifying situation for the entire Guthrie family. Please join us in saying a prayer for them, and for the safe return of Nancy Guthrie.