Savannah Guthrie Explains 4-Day Absence During Return to Today

Nancy Guthrie Case: FBI Source Says 3 Kidnapping Ransom Notes Are Fake

Savannah Guthrie got some well-deserved R&R.

While the Today show co-anchor’s recent four-day absence from the morning show sparked some concern among fans as her mom Nancy Guthrie remains missing, it turns out Savannah was away enjoying some pre-planned time away from the camera before returning July 14.

“So glad that Savannah’s back in Studio 1A,” her co-anchor Craig Melvin said upon her return. “Had some much-deserved time off.”

As for what Guthrie did with her time off-camera, she revealed—to the shock of Melvin—that she was busy watching the quarterfinal matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

“I watched quite a few of them,” she explained, before showing off her newfound expertise with, “And you should know, the France and Spain semifinal is today.”

Indeed, the two countries are set to kick off the semifinal round of the tournament on July 14, with Argentina and England to follow on July 15.

But other than sharing a peek into her journey as a soccer fan, Guthrie did not share additional insight into her time away from Today, nor does it seem as though her absence was related to her mother’s disappearance as some fans wondered.

After her mother, 84, was abducted from her Arizona home in January, Guthrie took an initial, extended leave of absence from Today before returning in early April.

As the investigation into her mother’s disappearance continues, Guthrie has shared multiple pleas with the public for information though she has largely stayed out of the reporting surrounding her mother’s case.

Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

In late June, however, Guthrie addressed the public after a ransom note received by media outlets that claimed her missing mom was dead.

“I love you guys and I love this place,” she told her cohosts during the June 23 episode of Today. “This is unusual and unprecedented, to say the least, to be sitting here. But I don’t have any comment on this story and I’m not involved in our coverage—but I can’t pretend I’m not here. And so, since I am, I wanted to take the opportunity to ask people to, to beg people to come forward, somebody knows something.”

Noting that this is the reality she, her sister and brother navigate every day, she once again implored the public to share any information they may have.

“We are in agony,” she said. “And we cannot be at peace. No matter how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy, I will. I promise I will. This is the moment to tell you that we need your help. We’re begging for your help…We love our mom and we’ll never stop looking for her, ever.”

For more insight into the ongoing investigation, read on.

For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App