More than a year after her final episode as a Today anchor, Hoda Kotb once again returned to her former job site at NBC News to help fill in for the still-absent Savannah Guthrie, who’s been MIA for the past week admits the ongoing hunt for her missing mother Nancy Guthrie. Having popped in last week with a supportive message, Kotb officially rejoined the news desk in a temporary capacity alongside Craig Melvin for Today’s post-Super Bowl installment.
The current situation plaguing the Guthrie family is obviously unfortunate and traumatizing, but the longtime NBC News journalist doesn’t need to worry about missing work, as the entire Today squad is on her side and hoping for the most positive outcome possible. To that end, Kotb addressed her returned presence at the desk, saying she was “happy” to be there, albeit for less-than-idea reasons. In her words:
You know what, Craig? We always talk about our show as a family. We are a family. I’m part of the family. I’m happy to be with you, because we show up for each other. So let’s get to it.
As regular viewers will no doubt remember, Hoda Kotb's highly publicized exit from Today went down in early January 2025, with many of her colleagues singing her praises in tribute at the time. The move was both shocking and non-shocking to Guthrie, with many fans wondering why Kotb left after only seven years in the spot. Clearly there wasn't ever any bad blood or burned bridges involved, and Kotb even celebrated her replacement Sheinelle Jones getting officially announced in December 2025.
Kotb was tapped for Winter Olympics coverage for NBC, but announced days ago that she would no longer be making that trip due to everything happening. So it's highly likely she would happily trade her Today return for the guarantee that Savannah Guthrie's mother is returned to the family safely and soundly.
Latest On Savannah Guthrie's Mother Nancy
As reported by NBC News, authorities spent the weekend conducting another wide-ranging search of Nancy Guthrie's house and property, but still had no suspects to report by Monday morning, and no vehicles of interest to report on. News about other locations being investigated is expected, but nothing has been spoken on publicly yet.
Savannah Guthrie and her siblings shared a video on Friday night in which they more or less addressed one of several alleged ransom notes shared in relation to the case. Guthrie makes it clear that they will pay whatever is necessary to ensure their mother's safe return.
A second video was shared on Saturday that was reportedly in response to a second note sent to Tuscon news station KOLD. At this time, officers are aiming to determine whether or not the second note can definitively be connected back to the first one, and whether either of them is legitimately from someone with knowledge about Nancy Guthrie's whereabouts.
The Pima County Sheriff's Dept. shared a statement saying no further news conferences will be held in relation to this case outside of any major updates.
At this time, it's unclear whether or not Hoda Kotb will be sticking around the Today desk for the remainder of the week, or if this is just a one-day return.
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