Savannah Guthrie Returns to the ‘Today’ Show Set

Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today show on Thursday for an emotional set visit. Potentially, she was there to grant her first interview since mom, Nancy, went missing on Feb. 1.

“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her Today colleagues,” an NBC News spokesperson said in a statement provided to The Hollywood Reporter. “While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home.”

Less than 15 minutes later, Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones opened the 10 a.m. ET hour on the emotional note, sharing their very obvious affection for their colleague for five full minutes. It was not an easy transition to their first story of the day: Valerie Bertinelli saying she has never known true love.

There is no date set for Savannah to return to the program.

Savannah Guthrie, photographed on Thursday above, has been off the air since her mother was seemingly abducted in Tucson, Arizona, on the weekend of Jan. 31. Nancy Guthrie, who is 84 and has a heart condition, has not been seen or heard from since. As of this writing, the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI do not have any serious leads.

Today alum Hoda Kotb and Jones, a rising talent within the morning show, have mostly filled in for Guthrie aside her co-anchor Craig Melvin. The Today show has dedicated a segment — and often two — to reporting the latest on the Nancy situation and the Guthrie family every day since her disappearance. Nancy Guthrie was a semi-regular guest on the Today show.

The Nancy Guthrie investigation has been start and stop for more than a month now. At times, as new evidence was uncovered, there appeared to be positive momentum. Recovered video-doorbell footage was the best opportunity for a big break, but thus far, the masked and armed man in the brief videos has not been identified. At least one man was detained at one point in the search, but he was fairly quickly released. There have been more dead ends than serious leads for the past few weeks.

The Guthrie family is offering $1 million “for any information that leads to her recovery,” Savannah said last week. Though the Guthries and law enforcement are holding out hope that Nancy is still alive, both have admitted that possibility seems less and less likely with each day that passes.

“We also know that she may be lost. She may already be gone,” Guthrie said in the Instagram video announcing the family reward. “She may have already gone home to the Lord that she loves and is dancing in heaven with her mom and her dad, with her beloved brother, Pierce, and with our daddy.”

The feds already posted a $100,000 reward.

The Guthries wanted to come out with their own reward on day one, a source close to the family told The Hollywood Reporter, but Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos thought it not to be a good idea. Nanos’ thinking was that it would flood his office and the feds with thousands of fake tips, the source relayed.