Hoda Kotb returned to Studio 1A Friday morning to cover the disappearance of Savannah Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie.
A year after leaving her post on the “Today” show, the 61-year-old opened up to viewers about how “helpless” she and her former colleagues feel during the crisis.
“We are all very close to her and want to help her,” Kotub explained, recalling how Savannah supported her during her daughter Hope’s hospitalization in 2023.
“I was watching us and wondering who was the first person to come to the hospital when Hope got sick. It was Savannah,” said the 54-year-old former “Dateline” correspondent. “Who jumped on a plane for[Carson Daly’s]parents? Savannah.”
She noted that Savannah “stood by” as Sheinelle Jones’ late husband, Uche Ojie, battled cancer and helped Craig Melvin “when[his]brother passed away.”
Kotb, who left NBC in January 2025, emphasized that Savannah was “(always) there” for the “family” on the “Today” show.
She said that because “love is patient,” “we can be patient in prayer.”
Melvin, 46, chimed in, agreeing with Kotb’s “feeling of helplessness.”
However, he insisted, “We are not powerless because it is prayer and hope. Prayer and hope. Prayer and hope.”
Savannah has been off the air since Monday, when news broke that her mother went missing from her Tucson, Arizona, home over the weekend.
The Daytime Emmy Award winner has also withdrawn from coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Nancy is believed to have been kidnapped, and former CIA officer and FBI special agent Tracy Walder told Page Six that it was likely that Nancy had been “stalked for some time.”
The FBI is working with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and there is a $50,000 reward for “information leading to the recovery of Nancy Guthrie and/or the arrest and conviction of those involved in her disappearance.”
TMZ founder Harvey Levin claimed on CNN Thursday night that the ransom note demanded billions of dollars in Bitcoin and gave law enforcement a “radius around Tucson.”
Savannah and her siblings, Camron and Annie Guthrie, say they are “ready to talk” to the suspects who captured their mother on multiple videos, but want “living proof.”
Melvin and Jones, 47, played out the family’s tearful plea on Thursday’s show, saying: “Of course, most days, Savannah greets you from this desk. This morning, we received a very different message from a dear friend of ours.”
Two days ago, Ms Jones admitted she and colleagues were “confused” and having “sleep problems” as the desperate search for Nancy intensified.
In particular, security has been increased at NBC studios.
