Savannah Guthrie is officially back on the Today show after spending some time off the air to film her upcoming Wordle project.
“It’s nice to be back home,” Guthrie, 54, said on the Monday, August 10, broadcast of the NBC morning show while reuniting with cohost Craig Melvin. Guthrie welcomed viewers to the program, thanking them for “starting your week with us.”
Melvin, meanwhile, noted that the Today show team “missed” Guthrie while she was on assignment before joking about the $905 million Powerball jackpot.
“Here’s the thing, you might not see me again,” he quipped. “If I hit the Powerball — I’m playing tonight — if I hit it, SG, it was a fun ride while it lasted.”
Guthrie announced last month that she would be taking time away from the morning show to work on the network’s new Wordle game show, executive produced by Jimmy Fallon alongside The New York Times.
“We’re going to shoot the whole season, and we’re super excited,” she said on July 16. “Cannot wait for everyone to see it.”
Guthrie’s brief step back from Today came amid the ongoing search for her mother, Nancy, who was reported missing in Arizona in February. Nearly six months into the investigation, Guthrie issued a new plea to her mom’s kidnappers.
“Our family is in agony. We are in a nightmare that will not end. Nothing about our situation has changed. … The world can be a cruel and unforgiving place, and I know that you have tried to do things the right way,” she said in an Instagram video on July 27. “So I’m asking you, begging you to do the right thing now. Make the right choice. Help us find her. Tell us where to look for her. I truly believe it is never too late to do the right thing. … Please make the right choice.”
She captioned the clip, “Bring her home 💛.”
Days later, Guthrie shared another emotional post about her family’s heartache.
“This is our beautiful Mom,” she captioned a photo of Nancy, 84, on August 1. “Six months ago, someone took her out of her bed in the dead of nightWe have lived every moment, every breath, and every heartbeat in agony and despair ever since. Every day, we wake up and try to be strong and go on because that’s what our joyful and resilient Mom taught us to do, but make no mistake — our hearts are in ruins.”
Guthrie added that her loved ones would “never stop looking for answers,” reminding followers that “the reward is available” for information about Nancy’s whereabouts.
“We will always be hoping and praying and believing in the best of our world — in spite of circumstance,” she added. “This is what our faith makes possible. Please. Bring her home.”
Guthrie previously took time away from the Today show after her mother disappeared, returning in April. Since then, she has made rare remarks about the case on camera.
“I don’t have any comment on this story. I’m not involved in our coverage, but I can’t pretend I’m not here,” she said in June, referencing reports that an alleged ransom note alluded to Nancy’s death. “Since I am, I just wanted to take the opportunity to ask people — really, to beg people — to come forward.”
She added, “Somebody knows something. This is a news story today that is on your radar, because this is the life my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives and our extended families live, that our children live every day. We are in agony. We cannot be in peace.”
