Savannah Guthrie returned to NBC’s Today 64 days after her mother Nancy Guthrie disappeared, marking the end of more than two months away from the show. The Pima County Sheriff's Department has not been described as resolving Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance in the facts provided, and Guthrie came back with no on-air mention of her mother by name.
Savannah Guthrie on Today
On her first day back, Guthrie wore yellow in support of her mother and told viewers it was “good to be home.” Craig Melvin greeted her on air with, “It is good to have you back at home,” while wearing a yellow tie and ribbon pin to match her.
Nancy Guthrie on Feb. 1
Nancy Guthrie went missing on Feb. 1, and the account provided says she is believed to have been taken from her home against her will. She was last seen when her son-in-law dropped her off at home around 10 p.m. the night before she went missing, and a masked man appeared on her Nest doorbell camera around the time authorities said she was taken.
Status and Vulture
Just two weeks after the disappearance, Status reported that a majority of TV veterans interviewed “expressed doubts” that Guthrie would ever go back to Today. Irin Carmon later wrote that Savannah Guthrie was surprised and dismayed by those doubts, and also quoted a senior staffer saying it was “Savannah’s idea” to keep little of the absence on the show and that “most viewers were not tuning in to have a séance about her missing mom.”
The return matters for viewers because it restores Guthrie to NBC’s flagship morning show after a prolonged absence that followed a widely followed family disappearance. What remains unresolved is what happened to Nancy Guthrie after she disappeared, and the show’s first day back moved ahead without answering that on air.
