During her return appearance, Guthrie appeared upbeat and resumed normal hosting duties, joking about her outfit resembling Elle Woods from Legally Blonde while discussing the upcoming prequel series. She did not publicly explain why she left the previous day’s show early.
The sudden departure drew extra attention because Guthrie has been dealing with a deeply personal crisis involving her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who disappeared from her Tucson home earlier this year. Authorities continue to investigate the case, and Guthrie had previously taken a lengthy leave from the show before returning in April.
Several outlets reported that the abrupt exit was unrelated to developments in her mother’s case and was instead tied to an unspecified appointment.
Savannah Guthrie returned to Today on Thursday, May 7, after her unexpected early departure during Wednesday’s broadcast prompted concern from viewers.
She appeared alongside Willie Geist and seemed upbeat while discussing Elle, saying she loved the Legally Blonde franchise and had once dressed as Elle Woods for a Halloween-themed episode of the show.
The concern began during Wednesday’s episode when Guthrie left about 30 minutes before the program ended. Co-anchor Craig Melvin addressed the absence from the Today Show Plaza, joined by Jenna Bush Hager, Sheinelle Jones, Carson Daly and Dylan Dreyer, saying only that “Savannah had to leave a little early” and would return the next day.
The segment also featured one of Guthrie’s former high school teachers in the plaza audience holding a sign with old photos of the anchor. When asked by Bush Hager whether Guthrie had been a good student, the teacher responded, “Oh yeah, great student.”