Hoda Kotb returned to Today on Monday, Feb. 9, filling in for Savannah Guthrie as the anchor continues to aid the search for her mother, Nancy, who was allegedly kidnapped.
Kotb spent nearly 20 years on Today, including a stint as co-anchor with Guthrie from 2017 to 2025. Upon her return this week, Kotb spoke with co-anchor Craig Melvin about the “show as a family,” adding, “I’m part of the family. I’m happy to be with you because we show up for each other.”
Melvin and Kotb also addressed the strange situation Today finds itself, trying to cover the news, while one of their colleagues is at the center of one of the biggest stories in the country. Melvin said it was “uncharted territory balancing the updates on the search for Savannah’s mom with all the other stories of the day.”
He added, “We know things are far from normal right now. So, folks, we are asking for your grace as we continue to do this.”
And Kotb said, “Paramount through all of this, Savannah and her family are our top priority in addition to that, there is also a job to do.”
Nancy Guthrie, 84, was reported missing over a week ago. She was last seen on Jan. 31, with her family reporting her disappearance a few days later. At the time, Nancy’s home in Arizona was being treated as a crime scene, with authorities finding splatters of blood (later confirmed to belong to Nancy), a removed security camera, and signs of forced entry. Several ransom notes have since been received, though at least one was investigated and proven to be a fake, leading to an arrest in California.
Guthrie and her family have since released several videos addressed to Nancy’s alleged kidnappers. In the most recent video, shared over the weekend, Guthrie said the family is ready to “pay” and acknowledged, “we received your message, and we understand” (though no details of the message were shared).
Last week, the FBI announced that a $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of Nancy and/or the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
