Savannah Guthrie Returns to ‘Today’ Studio After Coronavirus Quarantine at Home

Savannah Guthrie is back on the set of the Today show after two weeks of self-quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic. The longtime NBC News veteran returned to her role as co-anchor of the morning show alongside her co-host, Hoda Kotb — sitting at a safe 6-foot social distance, of course.

“This is Studio 1A! I haven’t been here in a while!” Guthrie exclaimed at the top of Tuesday’s show. Kotb was glad to have her back, saying, “So many things are not normal, and in his moment, right now as I look at you, something finally is. It’s good to see your face.” Guthrie said it was “good to be back in the studio” as the two co-anchors “practiced [their] social distancing.”

Guthrie’s return came just in time, as she and Kotb will be anchoring a live primetime special Tuesday about the coronavirus pandemic at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.

Guthrie announced earlier this month, on March 17, that she would be anchoring Today from her house out of “an abundance of caution” after experiencing a mild sore throat and a runny nose. In the meantime, she co-anchored the show from her basement while Kotb hosted in the studio.

Al Roker and Craig Melvin also announced that they’d be working from home after a staffer on their 3rd Hour of Today show tested positive for COVID-19. Melvin has since returned to work while Roker remains calling in from various spots in his house.

Last week, Guthrie and Kotb announced that the Today show lost one of its own to the pandemic; the two co-hosts and friends tearfully mourned the death of Larry Edgeworth, a longtime audio technician for the network who they called “beloved.” In a sweet tribute, Guthrie narrated a package dedicated to sharing the success Edgeworth had with the network and what type of person he was.

“When Larry Edgeworth said he had your back, you knew you were covered. It wasn’t just knowing that he’d deliver on the sound, it was that, in any situation, he was on-guard to make sure you were OK, mentally, physically. He was a protector. He was a bear of a man, and a teddy bear at the same time.”

“Larry complained if you snapped his picture, hardly cracking a smile, but that was a front. His real smile was infectious and his voice echoed across the newsroom,” she continued. “You always knew when Larry was in the house with a hello and a hug. He’d ask about your family and proudly share tales of his own sons. Alex and Miles, and his wife, Crystal.”

After the package aired, Guthrie and Kotb had tears in their eyes as they both shared more stories about him, with Guthrie remembering the time they worked on election campaign coverage together years ago. “My heart goes out to his family and all our colleagues,” she added. “We really, really loved Larry and he loved us. And I think that’s why it hurts, why it’s so hard.”

It’s been an emotional few weeks at the morning show; last week, Kotb broke down on the air after interviewing New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who announced he would donate $5 million to coronavirus relief efforts in Louisiana. Kotb attempted to gather herself as she fought back tears but could not continue, leaving Guthrie to generously send the show to break from her at-home studio.