Savannah Guthrie revealed she will be returning to the “Today” show on April 6, but admitted it won’t be easy.
Later in her interviewOn Friday’s “Today” show, she set the record straight about her future..
Admitting that she doesn’t know “how to come back” or “how not to come back,” she explained to Hoda Kotb:
“It’s hard to imagine[coming back]because this is a place of so much joy and brightness. I can’t come back and try to be something I’m not, but I can’t help but go back. This is family. I think it’s part of my purpose now.”
“I want to smile, and when I smile, it becomes genuine. And my joy becomes my protest. My joy becomes my answer. I enjoy being there, and when I don’t, I will say so.”
She went on to express her gratitude for her “great family,” adding, “I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I belong anymore, but I’m willing to try. And I’m never going to be the same. But maybe it’s like that old poem: ‘The more broken the place, the more beautiful it is.'”
Savannah also talked about what it was like to return to the Today show studio in New York City earlier this month, explaining, “I really wanted to see everyone. I love this beautiful place that we call home and get to come and spend every day here. I know how much people have prayed for me and loved me, both people I see on TV and people I don’t know.”
She expressed how wonderful it was to receive notes and messages of support from the NBC family, saying, “They’re my family too.”
This is the first time Savannah has sat down since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing from her home in Tucson, Arizona, on February 1st.
In the first part of the interview, which aired Thursday, she spoke of her guilt at potentially being responsible for her mother’s disappearance and slammed the theory that her family was responsible for the horrific crime. She also revealed new details of the mother’s case and the children’s reactions.
The journalist appeared on the Today show in 2011, but has been on hiatus since the 84-year-old’s abduction.
Two weeks after the Nancy investigation began, we heard that Savannah was stepping back from her role at NBC “for the time being.”
A source told Page Six, “Everyone at Today is taking this situation day by day and is of course giving Savannah the grace, time and support she needs.”
The former lawyer’s contract is up for renewal, but talks about the co-anchor’s future will be “toxic,” a source said.
Savannah made headlines earlier this month when she returned to Studio 1A, not to an audience, but to reunite with her colleagues.
The 54-year-old has been in Arizona for several weeks to help her family overcome the crisis, and it’s notable that Kotb, 61, took on the role.
During a visit to Manhattan on March 5, a spokesperson for the network said, “She plans to return to the show on the air, but right now she is focused on supporting her family and bringing Nancy home.”
Jenna Bush Hager confirmed as much on that day’s broadcast, revealing that Savannah “has said she’s willing to come back.”
“Even though it feels like the hardest thing to do, this is her home and it’s a place where she feels so loved,” Hager, 44, explained.
Shainelle Jones agreed, adding, “Whenever[she’s]ready, we’ll be here.”
Savannah’s plans may change due to her mother’s incident, but Page Six confirmed last week that she and husband Michael Feldman hope to return after their two children’s spring break.
Most schools in Manhattan will resume classes on April 10th.
Carson Daly said when Thursday’s segment of Savannah’s Kotb interview aired that he and his co-hosts “don’t really correspond” with her.
“As we watch this all over the world, we are learning and unraveling so much about our dear friend,” he explained to viewers.
Daley, 52, and his fellow NBC personalities expressed “disturbance” over the tragedy, which resulted in increased security presence on set.
