NEW YORK — Savannah Guthrie said she plans to return to NBC’s Today on April 6 after nearly two months away following the disappearance of her mother, saying “joy will be my protest.”
In an interview with co-host Hoda Kotb that aired Friday, Guthrie acknowledged the difficulty of returning to a place of lightness while her family continues to search for answers.
“I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not. But I can’t not come back, because it’s my family,” she said. “I think it’s part of my purpose right now. I want to smile and when I do, it will be real and my joy will be my protest.”
Her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing from her home in Tucson on Feb. 1. Authorities believe she may have been abducted, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation has released surveillance footage of a masked man seen outside her residence the night she vanished.
The Guthrie family has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to her recovery. Investigators have not publicly released new evidence in recent weeks, though officials say tips are still coming in at a slower pace.
Guthrie, who has co-hosted “Today” since 2012, also withdrew from covering the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics shortly after her mother’s disappearance.
She has since supported efforts to raise awareness about missing persons, including donating to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding her mother’s case, Guthrie said she hopes to return to the show with authenticity while continuing to appeal for information. “How can someone vanish without a trace?” she said. “Someone knows something.”