Savannah Guthrie is reportedly contemplating leaving her role as host of the TV show “Today,” as the intense search for her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, moves into its second week. The situation has placed the longtime NBC anchor under immense personal strain during an already difficult and emotional time.
Nancy, 84, vanished from her home in a remote area of Tucson, Arizona, on February 1, leading police to open a kidnapping case that has drawn widespread attention. Savannah is among the most familiar faces on network television, having made her debut on NBC back in 2007. Her decision to leave the show will be a big loss for the network.
Disturbed and Undecided
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Sources say the intense and emotionally draining search for Nancy has led Savannah to take a hard look at her life in the spotlight, prompting her to rethink what it means to remain so publicly visible.
“This absolutely came out of the blue, and I think she’s really concerned that it was because of her job,” NewsNation’s Paula Froelich reported, citing sources.
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Froelich said Savannah was understandably overwhelmed, describing her as “a mess” and deeply fearful that previous TV segments showing her mother may have unintentionally put Nancy at risk.
Investigators believe Nancy was abducted from her home during the night. Given her advanced age and fragile health, the case has become increasingly urgent, with authorities racing against the clock to locate her.
Police have carried out an exhaustive search, closely examining Nancy’s Tucson home, searching a nearby property, and reviewing surveillance footage, all in a frantic effort to piece together clues about where she might be.
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There was fresh hope on Friday when SWAT teams were spotted moving in on a nearby home in Tucson as part of the ongoing search, raising expectations that investigators might finally be closing in on a breakthrough.
Only Hope, No Breakthrough
Those hopes were later tempered when the sheriff’s office confirmed that the operation did not lead to any arrests. Just three months ago, Savannah had gone back to her hometown of Tucson for an emotional walk down memory lane, revisiting the places that shaped her childhood and sense of self.
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That visit became a special segment on Today in November, where Tucson was portrayed as the place where her “soul is home,” with an emphasis on family roots and close-knit community ties.
During the broadcast, her mother made a rare appearance on camera. The two shared a quiet toast to the “gentle” desert town Nancy had called home since the 1970s, making the moment feel intimate and deeply personal.
In the aftermath of Nancy’s disappearance, however, there has been growing unease behind the scenes at NBC. Sources previously told Daily Mail that there are concerns the segment may have unintentionally drawn attention to Nancy and put her at risk.
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Now, her disappearance has cast that warm November homecoming in a far more unsettling light, transforming what was once a heartfelt tribute into a moment viewed with painful hindsight.
