Understanding hoda Kotb Returns to ‘Today’ as Search Continues for Savannah Guthrie’s Mom Nancy

Hoda Kotb made a return to TODAY on Friday as investigators continue to search for Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Kotb, who stepped away from the NBC daytime show in January 2025, returned to the anchor desk alongside Sheinelle Jones, Carson Daly and Craig Melvin on Friday, addressing the tragic situation surrounding the abduction of her former co-star’s 84-year-old mother.

“First of all, I just want to say this whole thing’s breaking my heart and I’m happy to be sitting here with you,” Kotb said. “I’ve been, like, wandering around going, ‘Where do you go?’”

“Because we’re your family! We’re here,” said Jones, who has been covering for Savannah while she is in Arizona with her family. Kotb agreed, “Yeah, and I picture Savannah sitting there.”

Kotb then looked back on how much Savannah had been there for her TODAY family over the years.

“I think there’s this helpless feeling. I mean, we’re all so close to her and we all want to help her,” said Kotb, referencing her daughter Hope’s health issues and type 1 diabetes diagnosis. “I’m looking at us, and I’m thinking, who was first in the hospital room when Hope was sick? Savannah.”

Turning to Daly, she asked, “Who hopped on a plane when your parents [died]? Savannah.”

“Who was sitting by Uche?” Kotb asked Jones, who lost husband Uche Ojeh to glioblastoma in 2025. She then asked Melvin, “How about when your brother passed? I mean, she was there.”

Kotb concluded with a call for prayer: “I was thinking this morning, you know when they say, ‘Love is patient. Love is kind.’ We’ll be patient and put prayers up,” to which Melvin added, “It’s just that feeling of helplessness. And we’re not helpless because it’s prayer and hope.”

Nancy was reported missing on Sunday after last being seen the night before. Police believe that she was abducted and continue their investigation into her whereabouts, which includes an alleged ransom note sent to the media.

Thursday, Savannah and her siblings, Camron and Annie, sent an emotional video message to their mother’s abductor.

“We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us,” Savannah said, adding in a message to her mother, “Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. Everyone is looking for you, Mommy, everywhere. We will not rest. Your children will not rest until we are together again. We speak to you every moment and we pray without ceasing and we rejoice in advance for the day that we hold you in our arms again. We love you.”