Returning to anchor NBC’s morning show over the last two months has been “really hard,” Savannah Guthrie tearfully admitted while guest hosting “Today With Jenna & Sheinelle” on June 8, 2026.
Filling in for Sheinelle Jones, Guthrie opened up to co-host and “best friend” Jenna Bush Hager that although she’s been so touched by the love and care from the team there and fans at home since returning on April 6, it’s been a struggle to show up each morning knowing her mom, Nancy Guthrie, remains missing after being abducted from her home more than four months ago.
Savannah Guthrie Says She’s Been ‘Trying to Hold It Together’ While Hosting ‘Today’
Opening the June 8 edition of her show by noting that it was National Best Friend Day, Bush Hager got choked up as she told Guthrie, “I’ve just marvelled, as somebody who knows you and loves you, at your strength. You comig back here and leading the ship, which I know cannot be easy yet here you are, getting out of bed spending the mornings with us. And I know so many of you at home feel the same way about you.”
Clearly touched, Guthrie replied, “First of all, I can’t really look at you every day without crying. You are my best friend.”
Fighting back tears, she continued, “And, you know, it’s really hard to come back, and I’ve been trying so hard to hold it together, and I promise I will. This show and this hour, especially, is about joy.”
“But having you and everyone, people behind the scenes, people in my ear, the producers, our castmates — when I see you in the morning, I know that you see me, no matter what is going on,” Guthrie said. “And sometimes, that’s almost too much because I feel like to do the job, I gotta keep it together, pull it together.”
Savannah Guthrie is ‘Happy To Be Back’ on NBC Despite Challenges
NBCGuthrie did note that although it’s been hard, her mornings on “Today” are a much-needed and fulfilling distraction, telling Bush Hager, “I’m happy to be back, and it’s like the two hours of my day that — it’s not that I’m not thinking about it, because I am. But it’s something to do, and it brings me a lot of joy to be with everybody. But no, it’s not easy.”
Guthrie’s 84-year-old mom, Nancy, disappeared from her home in Tucson, Arizona, overnight on February 1. Local police and the FBI have been investigating for months, but have made no arrests. Guthrie and her siblings have offered a reward of up to $1 million for information that leads authorities to their mom and her abductor.
She acknowledged to Bush Hager on June 8, “I know maybe people wonder, like, ‘What’s going on? How is she able to do that job? Is she not thinking about it? Did she forget?’ No. Never.”
Bush Hager assured her bestie that no matter what happens, she and the “family” they’ve created at the show will “have your back,” telling Guthrie, “We’ll be with you forever with this, and never forget.”
Guthrie then admitted, “I cry every morning on the way to work, and I cry every morning on the way home. And I’m grateful to have good friends and to be able to come to such a beautiful and joyous and supportive place.”
In addition to the $1 million reward that Guthrie’s family is offering, the FBI is also offering a $100,000 reward. Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
