The Today Show Is in Uncharted Territory

Savannah Guthrie's chair on Today is empty for now, but NBC doesn't plan to bring in a permanent replacement. The co-anchor has been off the air since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing in Arizona on Jan. 31, and the network is bracing for an open-ended absence. Hoda Kotb has stepped back into daily co-hosting duties alongside Craig Melvin while Guthrie remains with her family, and is expected to stay as long as needed, Variety reports. Each morning, the show updates viewers on the search, often including a segment from correspondent Liz Kreutz on the ground in Arizona; NBC this week cut into programming with a special report on the family's new $1 million reward for information.

A source tells Variety that Guthrie is expected to return to the show "on her own timeline." Behind the scenes, producers are trying to balance coverage of a colleague's personal crisis with the needs of a marquee franchise that pulled in more than $200 million in 2025 ad revenue. Ratings have climbed sharply in recent weeks, though it's unclear how much is due to Olympic coverage versus interest in Guthrie's situation.

Katie Couric, Today co-anchor from 1991 to 2006, calls the situation "tragically unprecedented." "I do think morning shows are living, breathing organisms, and when something happens to a member of these very close-knit teams, it is devastating, I think, to everyone," she told Variety in a recent interview. "I think the Today Show team is doing the best they possibly can, and it must be excruciating to try to carry on, but also to cover a story about a beloved colleague."

• Entertainment Weekly reports that before the State of the Union address on Tuesday, NBC's Tom Llamas said, "Savannah Guthrie is usually here anchoring all of our special political coverage," but she is instead dealing with "the unthinkable." He added: "We just want to let you know we are praying for you and your mom. We know you're going to get back here at some point."
• "Everyone, from top down is focused on supporting Savannah and her family, and also doing the best job possible, because that's what she would do," a show insider tells the New York Post. "She is just so missed by everyone."