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Mar 14, 2026

My heart is breaking… and I’ve been wandering around not knowing where I’m supposed to sit

“My heart is breaking… and I’ve been wandering around not knowing where I’m supposed to sit.” That was the very first thing Hoda Kotb said as she returned to the Today desk — while Savannah Guthrie remains in Arizona, waiting for news about her mother. Savannah’s familiar chair sat empty, the studio falling unusually quiet… until Sheinelle Jones softly said, “Because this is family. We’re here.” Hoda glanced toward the vacant seat and admitted, “I keep picturing Savannah sitting right there.” What should have been an ordinary morning broadcast suddenly turned into a moment that left everyone fighting back tears.

Hoda Kotb Returns to the Today Show as Search Continues for Savannah Guthrie’s Missing Mom

Savannah remains in Arizona with her family as the investigation into her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, continues

NEED TO KNOW

  • Hoda Kotb returned to the Today show on Friday, Feb. 6

  • Savannah Guthrie has not appeared on Today the week of Feb. 2, as the investigation into her mother Nancy’s disappearance enters its sixth day

  • Kotb opened up about the outpouring of love and support for Savannah

Hoda Kotb returned to her Today show family on Friday, Feb. 6, as the investigation into Savannah Guthrie’s missing 84-year-old mother, Nancy, enters its sixth day

“It feels like our family’s here,” said Sheinelle Jones, who has been covering for Savannah while she remains in Arizona with her family.

Kotb, who sat at the anchor desk alongside Jones, Carson Daly and Craig Melvin, noted that she was “happy” to be back with the Today show co-hosts after originally exiting the show in January 2025.

“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 of Savannah’s situation. “I’ve been, like, wandering around going, ‘Where do you go?’ ”

“Because we’re your family! We’re here,” Jones said.

“Yeah, and I picture Savannah sitting there,” Kotb noted, nodding to a seat at the table.

 

Hoda Kotb Returns to the Today Show amid Savannah Guthrie's Absence

 

After sharing a segment about the outpouring of support for Savannah and the Guthrie family, Kotb reflected on Savannah’s impact during their own family’s struggles.

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

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb watch Keith Urban perform on NBC's "Today"

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on ‘Today’ show in Oct. 2024. Debra L Rothenberg/WireImage

She also referred to the 2017 deaths of Daly’s parents, saying, “Who hopped on a plane when your parents? Savannah.”

“Who was sitting by Uche?” Kotb said to Jones, referring to the death of Jones’ husband Uche Ojeh, who died of glioblastoma in 2025. To Melvin, Kotb asked, “How about when your brother passed? I mean, she was there.”

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