Savannah Guthrie made an emotional visit to the “Today” show’s Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center on Thursday, her first time back since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, vanished more than a month ago, and NBC confirmed she intends to eventually return to the air.
“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her ’Today’ colleagues,” a show spokesperson said. “While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”
The visit came as the investigation into her 84-year-old mother’s disappearance stretched into its 32nd day. Ms. Guthrie has not appeared on the morning program since Nancy went missing, having spent most of that time with family in the Tucson, Arizona, area.
During the visit, Ms. Guthrie addressed her colleagues directly. “I have every intention of coming back,” she told them, according to a source who was present. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family. And, I would like to try.”
She thanked the “Today” team for “caring about my mom as much as I do,” adding, “I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope, and I’m still me.”
Co-anchor Jenna Bush Hager fought back tears on air as she addressed the visit, saying Ms. Guthrie “hugged every single person in this room” and that she is “beyond loved here.” Co-host Sheinelle Jones told viewers the cast relayed to Ms. Guthrie that “whenever you are ready, we are here.”
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing Feb. 1 after she failed to show up at a friend’s home in Tucson to watch an online church service. She was last seen the previous night around 9:45 p.m. after having dinner at her daughter Annie Guthrie’s home. Authorities have described the case as a possible kidnapping or abduction, but clues have been scarce.
The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for Nancy’s recovery. In announcing that reward Feb. 24, Savannah Guthrie said her family believes her mother “can come home,” while also acknowledging she may be lost or “already be gone.”
The FBI recovered doorbell camera images of an armed and masked man outside Nancy Guthrie’s home on the morning of her disappearance. Investigators have described that person as a suspect, though he has not been publicly identified. The FBI is searching for a male between 5 feet, 9 inches and 5 feet, 10 inches tall with an average build, who was seen wearing a black 25-liter Ozark Trail Hiker Pack backpack in the doorbell footage.
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