Savannah Guthrie quietly returned to NBC’s Studio 1A this week, reuniting with colleagues from the TODAY show for the first time since stepping away amid the ongoing search for her missing mother.
The visit marked Guthrie’s first time back at Rockefeller Center since her final on-air appearance on January 30. Two days later, family members reported her mother, Nancy Guthrie, missing.
During the emotional visit, Guthrie spoke directly to the staff and crew of the program, thanking them for their support and acknowledging how deeply they had cared about her mother during the crisis.
“I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope, and I’m still me,” Guthrie told the room. “And I don’t know what version of me that will be, but it will be.”
The longtime anchor also drew strength from words often spoken by her mother. “I’m holding onto my faith,” Guthrie said. “I still believe. And as my mom would say, ‘Where else would I go?’”
Dylan Dreyer’s did something special
As emotions filled the room, fellow TODAY meteorologist Dylan Dreyer gathered the group into a circle and led a prayer alongside their colleagues.
Dreyer invited everyone present to hold hands as a show of unity, turning the moment into a powerful expression of support for Guthrie.
“We’re here holding hands as a family, in a place where we don’t understand why this is happening,” Dreyer said. “It is not too bold to ask God for the biggest miracles every day.”
Following the prayer, Guthrie embraced members of the team who had gathered in the studio, sharing a series of emotional hugs.
Colleagues reflect on Guthrie’s return to Studio 1A
Later in the broadcast day, co-hosts Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones spoke about the significance of Guthrie’s visit during the fourth hour of TODAY.
Bush Hager described the studio as a place that has always been deeply meaningful to the anchor.
“Savannah has come back to her home here at 30 Rock and Studio 1A,” Bush Hager said. “She said that she has the intention to return to the show. Even though it feels like the hardest thing to do, it’s also her home and where she feels so loved.”
Jones also praised Guthrie’s resilience, noting the courage it took simply to return to the studio.
“I’m proud of Savannah, and I’m rooting for Savannah,” Jones said. “I think her coming here, just being able to be with us and for us to be able to hug her, I think it’s a step.”
Guthrie confirmed during the gathering that she plans to return to the program, though she said a timeline for her comeback has not yet been determined.
“I have every intention of coming back,” she said. “I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family. And I would like to try.”
Search for Nancy Guthrie continues
Since her mother’s disappearance, Guthrie has used social media to keep the public informed. On February 24, she announced that her family was offering a $1 million reward for information related to the case.
The anchor has also acknowledged publicly that the outcome of the search remains uncertain, while emphasizing that her family continues to hold on to hope.
For Guthrie, the return to Studio 1A was not about resuming her role immediately, but reconnecting with the colleagues who have supported her during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
And as the emotional prayer led by Dylan Dreyer made clear, the TODAY team continues to stand beside her while the search for her mother goes on.
