Savannah Guthrie wept as she spoke about her return to the Today show in the midst of the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.
“It’s really hard to come back. I’ve been trying really hard to hold on and I promise I will. This show, and this hour especially, is about joy,” the journalist tearfully said during the fourth hour of Monday’s talk show, which he co-hosted with colleague and close friend Jenna Bush Hager.
“But having you, the people behind the scenes, the people who are in my ear, the producers, my castmates. When I see you in the morning, I know you’re watching me, no matter what’s going on.”
She further added, “Sometimes it feels like it’s too much because you want to keep it together and do the job you’ve been given to keep it together.”
Savannah, 54, explained that while the Today show is a “bit of a break” for her to focus on something else, her mother’s kidnapping is still on her mind.
“I cry every morning when I go to work and every morning on the way home,” she admitted, noting that she wouldn’t have tried to return if she had taken another type of job.
Savannah also said she wasn’t sure if she was ready to co-host “Today” with Jenna and Sheinelle two months after returning as anchor.
“It’s hard not to be your authentic self when you’re with your best friend. It was scary in a way to do this show with you. I couldn’t see you in an environment like this, where you just talk about your life and you don’t tell the truth about your life,” she explained.
“I know people are probably wondering, ‘What’s going on? How can she do that job? Doesn’t she think about it? Did she forget?'” No, never. never. ”
she continued. “We still need everyone’s prayers and we hope someone will call and say what they know.”
Savannah said she is “grateful” to have “amazing friends” and to be in “such a beautiful, fun, supportive place.”
She also explained how she’s been able to balance her complex emotions since returning to the NBC show.
“Like so many people out there, you can put all these things together,” she said. “That’s what I try to tell my kids. We can hold back our sadness and we can hold back our joy. If you don’t believe me, just watch and I’ll show you.”
As Page Six previously reported, Nancy, 84, was reported missing from her home in Arizona on February 1st.
The residence was quickly labeled a crime scene as investigators said they believe she was taken against her will.
The FBI and local authorities began an ongoing investigation that resulted in DNA evidence and video footage of a masked suspect outside Nancy’s home on the night of her disappearance.
Last month, the search for Nancy reached a record 100 days.
The FBI is offering a $100,000 reward for any information in Nancy’s case, and Savannah and her family are offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the discovery of her mother.
