Savannah Guthrie’s mother has been missing for the majority of 2026, and after taking extended time off right when it happened, the anchor returned to work at Today in April. However, since then, she’s taken some time off here and there. This includes a few days this week. Her reason for being off-air, though, has reportedly nothing to do with her mother’s disappearance.
As the Today show continues to air daily on the 2026 TV schedule, Savannah has taken the last two days off. Laura Jarrett filled in for her today while Sheinelle Jones took her chair on Wednesday. According to TMZ, there’s been speculation that her absence had something to do with her mother Nancy’s disappearance. However, according to sources who spoke to the outlet, the investigation has nothing to do with why she’s not working at the moment. Savannah has reportedly simply taken some time for herself to spend time with her family.
Meanwhile, the investigation into her mom’s kidnapping remains active, and the FBI has “received several ransom notes,” with some seemingly being “extortion attempts without legitimacy” while others could “potentially be legitimate.”
Now, this most recent absence comes almost a month after Savannah Guthrie missed a few days of work in mid-June. That time off was also not related to her mother’s disappearance. It was actually connected to her career, as she was beginning work on her Wordle show that will air on NBC later this year.
So, she’s been gone for a variety of reasons throughout 2026. However, it’s not shocking that many initially assume that her absence could be related to her mom and the ongoing investigation. In fact, earlier this summer, alleged plans for what Today will do if Savannah steps away again were shared, and they revealed that Hoda Kotb is allegedly on standby if her former co-host needs to take some extended time off again.
Notably, Kotb did fill in during Savannah’s absence earlier this year. So, it’s not shocking that this is the alleged plan if she has to leave again.
However, the last few episodes Savannah missed were reportedly just some personal time off, which is a very regular thing for these anchors to do throughout the year.
At the moment, it’s unclear when the longtime anchor will return. Meanwhile, the investigation into her mom’s kidnapping is ongoing. Over the last few months, this case has been reported on by the Today team. Also, back in June, Savannah spoke about what’s happened to her mother during a telecast, saying that “somebody knows something” and reiterating that she and her family are “in agony” and “cannot be at peace.”
Now, as we learn more about why Savannah Guthrie missed a few days of work, and as the investigation involving her mother continues, we’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, you can watch Today every morning on NBC.
