It’s been nearly three weeks since Nancy Guthrie, the 84 year-old mother of the TODAY show host Savannah Guthrie, went missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona. Now insiders are claiming that Savannah is “never returning to the TODAY show” as her beloved mother remains missing.
Will Savannah Return To TODAY?
Savannah, 54, has not appeared on the TODAY show since her mother was reported missing on February 1. Sources claim that her absence from TODAY might be permanent.
“There’s no way Savannah’s coming back,” an NBC executive told Status News. “I can’t imagine she would even want to.”
Savannah has been an anchor on the TODAY show since 2012. She has yet to comment on her future with the program, but other insiders also believe that she’s not coming back to her previous role.
“If you could pick one person across the span of morning TV that a show would not want to lose, it would be Savannah,” said another executive. “Savannah was always the glue on that show, and without that, this whole paradigm of our morning anchor team as a family, that connective tissue has just been ripped out.”
TODAY Rallies Around 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. At the time of this writing, NBC has not made any permanent moves to replace Savannah. Instead, the network is taking this situation week-by-week.
“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.
Savannah is currently with her family in Tucson as the search for her mother continues. Earlier this week, Savannah addressed Nancy’s alleged kidnapper in an emotional social media video. In it, Savannah told whoever took her mother that it’s “never too late to do the right thing.”
“She looks devastated, she looks like she’s struggling,” said another NBC source. “She can’t be doing well.”
“Anyone who knows her is obviously so worried about her,” this insider added.
Police Test DNA Evidence
Meanwhile, police have turned to genetic genealogy to analyze DNA found at Nancy’s Tucson home.
“We believe that we may have some DNA there that may be our suspect, but we won’t know that until that DNA is separated, sorted out, maybe admitted to CODIS, maybe through genetic genealogy,” said Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos.
CODIS stands for Combined DNA Index System. It is an FBI database that has 19 million offender DNA profiles and more than one million forensic profiles. It has cracked numerous murder cases in recent years, including the quadruple homicide at the University of Idaho that was carried out by Bryan Kohberger.
“If I was the kidnapper, I would be extremely concerned right now,” said DNA expert CeCe Moore. “He will be identified.”
Earlier this week, an insider told People Magazine that Savannah is “devastated” about her mother’s disappearance.
“This has been an incredibly emotional and stressful time for her and her family,” the source said. “They’re leaning on one another for support while hoping for answers.”
This has clearly been an extremely difficult time for Savannah and for her entire family. Please join us in saying a prayer for the safe return of Nancy Guthrie.