Savannah Guthrie returned to NBC’s “Today” on April 6, amid the continuing disappearance of her mother, Nancy. Joined by co-anchor Craig Melvin, Guthrie dove headfirst into the news, not wasting any time to address the ongoing investigation into his mother’s whereabouts. Guthrie covered the morning’s big topics, from Trump’s Iran war to soaring gas prices, Artemis II’s plans to orbit the moon, and Prince William and Kate Middleton’s first Easter service in three years.
“It’s good to be home,” Guthrie declared after the show, the only nod to the show’s absence. “Break the news whether you’re ready or not.”
“It’s great to be home,” Melvin added.
About 20 minutes into the broadcast, Guthrie and Melvin gave Al Roker the first weather update of the morning. “I like seeing it here,” Roker said, looking at Guthrie and nodding affectionately at her return. She replied, “Good morning, sun.”
Jenna Bush Hager also welcomed Guthrie’s return. Fifty minutes into the broadcast, Hager appeared on the “Morning Boost” segment, held Guthrie’s hand and declared, “The sunshine is back and we don’t need a boost.”
Later in the show, Guthrie held her breath when she came out into the Today plaza as the audience gathered around the studio cheered her on. Many of the fans in attendance held placards welcoming Guthrie back to the show. One of the signs included a photo of Guthrie posing with his mother, Nancy.
“These signs are so beautiful,” Guthrie said through tears. “You guys have been so amazing. You’ve gotten so many letters and been so kind to me and my whole family. We feel it. We feel your prayers. Thank you so much.”
Guthrie announced on March 27 that she would return to the Today anchor desk this month as the search for her mother continues. Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1st, and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office announced that their disappearance was presumed to be a kidnapping after significant evidence was found at her home in Tucson, Arizona. The FBI participated in the search for Nancy and offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to her recovery. The amount was later increased to $200,000 and then to $1 million on February 24th. No arrests have been made in the case, and no suspects have been named.
In an interview with Hoda Kotb in which Guthrie announced her “Today” return date, she admitted that it was “hard to imagine” returning to the morning show because “this is a place of so much joy and brightness.” But she also considers her “Today” co-anchors family, saying, “When times are tough, you want to be with your family.”
“You can’t come back and try to be a different person, but you can’t not go back because it’s family,” Guthrie said. “I think that’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile, so it’s real. And my joy becomes my protest.”
She later concluded, “I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I belong anymore. But I want to try. And I’m not going to be the same, but maybe it’s like the old poem: ‘Beautiful as it is in broken places.'”
In Variety’s digital cover story announcing Guthrie’s return, sources said advertisers were eager to have him back on the show and viewers were rooting for him to succeed, even if coverage felt a little different in the first few days after his return.
