Savannah Guthrie returns to the Today show next month after a two-month hiatus as the search for her missing mother Nancy Guthrie continues.
Her comeback date was announced on air by Hoda Kotb, who confirmed that Guthrie will be back at the anchor desk on April 6.
Co-host Craig Melvin said the team looks forward to welcoming her back.
The announcement comes after the airing of the second part of Guthrie’s interview, in which she spoke openly about the emotional challenge of returning.
“It’s hard to imagine me doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness and 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. I think it’s part of my purpose right now,” Guthrie said of returning to Today.
She said she didn’t expect to feel the same way, but wanted to return to a place she considers family.
“I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real. And my joy will be my protest. My joy will be my response. And being there is joyful. And if it isn’t, I will say so. I am so grateful to have this family. I consider this my family, my larger family, and when times are hard, you want to be with your family. And I want to be with my family,” Guthrie added.
Guthrie also addressed speculation surrounding her mother’s alleged kidnapping, including ransom money and suspicions leading to her own family.
Guthrie has been off the air since her mother, Nancy, disappeared from her Arizona home on January 31. Authorities later released surveillance footage showing a masked intruder outside the property the night she went missing.
The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been identified.
During her absence Today is moderated by Craig Melvin, with support from Hoda Kotb and other presenters. Earlier this month, Guthrie briefly returned to the studio to thank colleagues and said she remains hopeful as efforts to find her mother continue.
The family has also offered a reward for information and donated $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
