Savannah Guthrie made an unexpected early exit from her anchor duties on “The Today Show” on Wednesday, May 6, and it’s currently unclear whether her departure had anything to do with the ongoing investigation around the presumed kidnapping of her dear 84-year-old mother, Nancy.
Today marks one month since Guthrie’s return to television following her 2-month absence after Nancy’s disappearance from her home near Tucson, Arizona on February 1, 2026.
Before leaving, she seemed her usual self on the broadcast and covered a segment about a bear attack.
Guthrie left the set around 90 minutes into the broadcast, prompting Guthrie’s co-anchor Craig Melvin to make an announcement about her absence. Melvin told viewers, “Savannah had to leave a little early,” but promised the audience, “She’ll be right back tomorrow, though.”
No explanation beyond Melvin’s short announcement has been given for Guthrie’s early exit, and Page Six says “Today” reps didn’t immediately respond when the outlet reached out for more info. However, the Page Six report quotes a source as telling them that Guthrie left “for some sort of appointment, and her exit had nothing to do with her mom.”
Report Says NBC Has Secret Code Words to Pull Guthrie Off Set
On April 11, The Daily Mail reported they’d learned that NBC executives put a plan in place for what will happen if a major update about the case comes in while Guthrie is on the air.
The report says the 54-year-old broadcaster will be alerted “with a specific phrase, pulled from the broadcast and briefed.”
There isn’t any evidence that’s what happened on May 6, but the outlet says they were told by an insider at the network, “We would pull her immediately, mid-segment if we had to,” and added, “She would understand that there was news about her mom and we’d take into an office and tell her, at the same time that another anchor would report it as a breaking story. We would never in a million years have her report on the developments unless she wanted to. She knows if one of the producers tells her she’s ‘needed off set’ that there’s a development.”
The Mail says the source added that Guthrie trusts the team at NBC to respectfully handle any potential news about her mother, and know they would “never want to hurt her.”
The report goes on to say the source said Guthrie understands that the news comes first, and the network wouldn’t necessarily delay reporting on any breakthroughs. In the event something happens regarding the case while Guthrie is at work, “a couple” of people at the show who are “close with her” will be there for her to lean on, according to the story.
Savanah Guthrie Reported on a Bear Attack Before Unexpectedly Leaving
Guthrie appeared calm and collected as she reported on a bear attack that occurred in an area of Yellowstone National Park that is frequently occupied by tourists. No deaths were reported, but the show reported that family members say multiple victims were hospitalized and still recovering.
For the show, Guthrie wore a sleeveless black outfit with a contrasting white collar, and adorned her ears with several sparkling cuffs.
Pima County Sheriff Denied Excluding FBI In Early Days of Investigation
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has put out a statement officially denying recent claims by FBI director Kash Patel that the FBI was shut out from helping with the search in the first 4 days of the investigation.
Sheriff Nanos said in a May 5 episode of the podcast “Hang Out With Sean Hannity” that the FBI in fact did not immediately reach out.
