Savannah Guthrie skips two Today shows for NBC Wordle game show production amid mother's disappearance

Savannah Guthrie, co‑anchor of NBC’s Today, was absent from the broadcast on June 17 and June 18. Co‑hosts Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin stepped in while Guthrie was “on assignment,” attending production meetings for an upcoming NBC Wordle‑based game show produced by Jimmy Fallon.

The absences coincide with the ongoing search for Guthrie’s mother, Nancy Guthrie, who vanished from her Tucson, Arizona home on Jan 31. The case has been classified as a crime scene, with the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI investigating, but no suspect has been identified. Guthrie has spoken publicly about the emotional difficulty of returning to work while her mother remains missing.

The Wordle game show, slated for primetime, has been delayed as Guthrie’s family dealt with the disappearance, and NBC and the production team have reportedly paused work to support her. Guthrie is expected to return to the Today set on June 22.