Savannah Guthrie was conspicuously absent from the Today show for multiple consecutive days this week, with concerned fans wondering if her absence had anything to do with the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Savannah, 54, has been absent from the NBC morning show since Wednesday, July 8. Sheinelle Jones filled in for her on Wednesday alongside Craig Melvin and on July 9, Laura Jarrett filled in.
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Savannah’s absence reportedly has nothing to do with Nancy’s abduction, PEOPLE reports, adding that she is expected back on Today next week. Page Six reports that she is on a brief hiatus from the show to spend time with her family amid the ongoing investigation.
Savannah took a longer hiatus when Nancy first disappeared at the beginning of February. Savannah returned to the show in April. A source told Page Six at the time that staffers at the Today show were warned before she came back not to speak about the investigation.
“It was supposed to be business as usual. [Producers] said to act totally normal,”the source said. “‘Move forward’ is the vibe. It’s been a hard year and a draining time.”
Nancy was abducted from her home in Arizona on Feb. 1. Despite a continued investigation from the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Office, she has remained missing.
Savannah opened up about the “agony” her family has endured over the past five months. “There is not a moment that goes by that we aren’t actively trying to find our mom,” she told KOLD 13 News last week.
Several ransom notes have been released with demands for millions of dollars worth of bitcoin for Nancy’s safe return. In June, Nancy broke down on the air of the Today show while discussing one of the notes received in February that said her mother had died.
“This is unusual and unprecedented to say the least to be sitting here,” Savannah noted after Liz Kreutz reported the news of the ransom note. Savannah said she had “no comment” on the headlines and is “not involved in … coverage” of the abduction, but that she couldn’t “pretend” to not be present for the conversation.
“So since I am I just wanted to take the opportunity to really ask people and really beg people to come forward because somebody knows something,” she continued.
“This is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the live my sister lives, that I live, that my brother lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day,” she said.
“We cannot be at peace,” the journalist said. “No matter how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy — and I will, I promise I will — this is a moment to say we need your help. … I’m not gonna miss that opportunity.
“No matter how small, the reward is there. You can tell us, it can be anonymous. Please do the right thing,” Savannah concluded.
