Savannah Guthrie Returns to ‘Today’ After Sudden Exit

Savannah Guthrie returned to the TODAY show on Thursday after making a sudden exit from the NBC morning show the previous day.

Guthrie was joined by Willie Geist at the desk on Thursday morning as they began the broadcast in good spirits, discussing the Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, as the show proceeded as usual.

TODAY show viewers became concerned for Guthrie when she made an abrupt exit from Wednesday’s broadcast about 30 minutes before the show was set to end.

Craig Melvin made the announcement while out on the Today Show Plaza alongside co-anchors Jenna Bush Hager, Sheinelle Jones, Carson Daly and Dylan Dreyer, revealing, “Savannah had to leave a little early. She will be right back here tomorrow, though.”

No further explanation was given for Guthrie’s exit, and she has not addressed her sudden absence publicly. However, a source told Page Six that the NBC morning show personality left “for some sort of appointment,” and that her exit had “nothing to do” with the investigation into the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Savannah returned to TODAY at the start of April following an extended hiatus as she spent time with family following the abduction of her 84-year-old mother. Nancy was abducted from her Tucson, Ariz., home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, but police have not named any official suspects in the months that have followed.

Earlier this week, FBI Director Kash Patel criticized Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos for his handling of the case. “The first 48 hours of anyone’s disappearance are the most critical,” Patel said on Hang Out with Sean Hannity. “For four days, we were kept out of the investigation.” 

Nanos has since responded with a statement on X (formerly Twitter), writing in part, “We remain committed to a thorough, coordinated and fact-based investigation and will continue working closely with our federal partners as the process moves forward.”

Savannah’s decision to return to TODAY came as she expressed a desire to be with her NBC “family” during this dark time in her life.

“I can’t not come back, because it’s my family. I think it’s part of my purpose right now,” she told Hoda Kotb in a sit-down interview ahead of her return, adding, “I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real. I will have joy. And my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer. And being there is joyful. And when it’s not, I’ll say so. And I have been so grateful to have this family. I consider this my family, my greater family.”

Savannah added that when “times are hard, you want to be with your family,” continuing, “And so I don’t know if I can do it. I don’t know if I’ll belong anymore, but I would like to try. I would like to try.”