Hoda Kotb is set to stay in Savannah Guthrie’s “Today” seat for an extended period as the search for the star’s mother Nancy Guthrie stretches into its fourth grueling week, sources tell Page Six.
Behind the scenes at the NBC morning show, bosses are dealing not only with the impact of Savannah’s absence, but also with wild – and hurtful – rumors about who could take her job, according to insiders.
Although Kotb, 61, left ‘Today’ just over a year ago, she returned to Studio 1A to rejoin her former colleagues as somewhat of a salve shortly after Savannah’s life was brutally upended.
Hoda Kotb returned to Studio 1A to co-anchor ‘Today’ alongside Craig Melvin in the wake of Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance. She’ll be in Savannah Guthrie’s seat for the time being, sources tell Page Six.NBC
Hoda and Savannah joined forces as co-anchors after Matt Lauer was fired in 2018. They have been close ever since and Savannah broke down in tears on Hoda’s last day on Jan. 10, 2025.Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
“Hoda has been a steady hand, and calm presence for the staff.”Despite this, there are no plans for Kotb to return full time and join co-anchor Craig Melvin, who replaced her on the show, as she is focused on her lifestyle business, Joy 101, and her family.No one could have expected that one of NBC News’ most loved stars would become part of the biggest news story in the US. Savannah was forced to pull out of hosting the Winter Olympics opening ceremony and first week of coverage in Milan – and also missed her regular spot helming NBC’s “State of the Union” coverage Tuesday night.
‘Today’ stars – including Carson Daly and Al Roker – have been wearing yellow ribbons in solidarity with Savannah, whose mother has been missing for more than a month.TODAY
Hoda was meant to jet to Italy to cover the Olympics, as was Craig, but both stayed in the US in the “Today” studio.
And while some insiders have reported it’s been difficult to keep up morale at such a tumultuous time as they focus on covering a story that is about one of their own, show staffers are trying to “tune out the noise and focus on work,” said an NBC insider.
“If anything, this incredibly heartbreaking situation has reinforced the strength of the ‘Today’ family.
Savannah remains in Tucson, Ariz., as the search for her 84-year-old mom continues.savannahguthrie/Instagram
“Everyone, from top down is focused on supporting Savannah and her family, and also doing the best job possible, because that’s what she would do. She is just so missed by everyone,” the insider said.
Savannah, 54, remains in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz., during the ongoing hunt for her 84-year-old mom. As rumors swirled about her future on the show, we revealed that the popular star – whose multimillion dollar contract is up this year – will be off “Today” for the foreseeable future.
Hours after Savannah released another heartbreaking video Tuesday in which she offered a reward of up to $1 million for any help in her mother’s return, the insider added, “We just hope this video will bring some answers.”
A still of Savannah Guthrie in one of the videos where she pleaded for the safe return of her mother, Nancy.
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Hoda Kotb, left, and Savannah Guthrie embracing on the set of the “Today” show in 2017.AP“Today” has always been a cornerstone of NBC News’ revenue, and has brought up to $508 million a year in advertising revenue to the networkNow ratings have jumped 30% over the past few weeks. Both “Nightly News” (7.6 million viewers) and “Today” (3.4 million) have scored significant gains compared to the same time last year.“Today” is up 26% from 2.69 million for the same period in 2025. Some of that is probably due to the intense interest in Nancy Guthrie’s case, but much also stems from the Olympics.
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