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After a two-month hiatus following the unsettling disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Savannah Guthrie is set to make her return to NBC’s “Today” show next month. In an interview that aired on Friday, Guthrie expressed her determination to find happiness despite the circumstances, declaring, “joy will be my protest.”
Hoda Kotb, Guthrie’s former co-host, revealed that Guthrie will be back on the show on April 6. Reflecting on her upcoming return, Guthrie admitted it’s challenging to envision stepping back into a role filled with joy and lightness. She acknowledged her uncertainty about whether she can reclaim her place or if she will still fit in, but emphasized her desire to try.
“I can’t return pretending to be something I’m not,” Guthrie stated. “But I also can’t stay away because this team is my family. It’s a part of my purpose now. I want to smile genuinely, and when I do, it will signify my protest, my answer. Being there brings joy, and when it doesn’t, I’ll be honest about it.”
Nancy Guthrie was reported missing on February 1. Authorities suspect she was kidnapped or taken against her will. The FBI has released surveillance footage showing a masked individual near Guthrie’s home in Tucson on the night of her disappearance. The Guthrie family is offering a $1 million reward for any information leading to her recovery.
During another segment of the interview with Kotb on Thursday, Guthrie revealed that she and her siblings were certain their mother’s disappearance wasn’t a simple case of wandering off. Given the pain their mother was enduring, coupled with suspicious findings such as open doors, blood on the doorstep, and a tampered camera, they realized something was amiss. Guthrie’s brother immediately suspected their mother had been kidnapped for ransom.
The longtime “Today” show co-anchor said they don’t know that their mother was taken because of her, but acknowledged that it would make sense and that was “too much to bear.” While she said some of the purported ransom notes were fake, Guthrie said she believed the two that she and her siblings responded to were real. But the circumstances were surreal.