Savannah Guthrie returned to the NBC studios in New York on Thursday after more than a month off the air, but not in her usual capacity.
Instead of helping “Today” viewers start their day, the veteran morning news anchor paid an off-camera visit to her NBC family amid the kidnapping of her mother Nancy Guthrie, 84, in Arizona. An NBC spokesperson said in a statement that Guthrie, the “Today” show staple, spent a moment in the NBC studios to thank his colleagues.
“While she plans to return to the show on air, at this time she remains focused on supporting her family and working to help Nancy return home,” the statement added.
“Today” co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones discussed their reunion with Guthrie during the show's fourth hour on Thursday, with the former noting that “Savannah is back home.”
“He said he intends to return to the show even though it seems like the hardest thing to do,” Bush Hager told viewers while crying. “It is also her home and where she feels very loved. She is more than loved here.”
Bush Hager spoke about how “it felt so good to be able to hug” and comfort Guthrie, while Jones said she is proud of Guthrie and supports her amid the search for Nancy Guthrie. Jones also praised the younger Guthrie for her strength.
“I look at it like we're in this storm and we haven't gotten out of it, but there's a light somewhere even in the middle of the storm,” Jones added, “and I think her coming here and being able to be with us, being able to hold her, I think that's a step.”
“For me, every time you can take a step, I celebrate it,” added Jones, who was absent from “Today” last year due to the death of her husband Uche Ojeh.
Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped from her home on February 1, putting Savannah Guthrie and her family in the national spotlight. Amid her mother's disappearance, Savannah Guthrie retired from NBC's coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, in addition to her duties on the “Today” show.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department launched its investigation into Father Guthrie's disappearance last month and insisted Thursday that the investigation is still in full force and has some solid leads. The department announced it has a dedicated team from its homicide unit working with the FBI on the case. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC News that he and his team believe Nancy Guthrie is still alive and are following thousands of leads.
Drops of the 84-year-old grandmother's blood were found on the door of her house. Her alleged kidnapper snatched her Nest camera from her front door on February 1, but not before capturing the man armed with a ski mask, a backpack and a gun, lurking on the porch and attempting to cover the lens with his gloved hand. More than a dozen gloves have since been recovered in the surrounding community. But the one glove that authorities said matched the one the person in the video was wearing turned out to be unrelated and belonged to a worker at a nearby restaurant.
There have been no DNA matches to anyone registered in the federal CODIS database.
Ransom notes arrived after the Feb. 1 kidnapping, but none with proof that Guthrie was alive. The locals were detained and quickly released when investigative leads seemed to dry up.
Thousands of additional tips have poured into the Pima County Sheriff's Department since last week, when Savannah Guthrie announced a $1 million reward for information leading to her mother's return.
Nanos said his department is examining videos from homes in the area that show a car driving at the time of the kidnapping, but no vehicle has been linked to the crime at this time.
During Thursday's broadcast, Bush Hager told viewers that his support for Guthrie and his family has not gone unnoticed by the longtime host. He also recalled that during difficult times, Guthrie never considered his faith as a last resort.
“'God has always been my first resort,'” Bush Hager recalled Guthrie saying, adding that his colleague is “one of the most precious things in our lives.”
“We're bringing her back here,” Jones said.
Times staff writers Richard Winton and Matthew Ormseth contributed to this report.
