NBC Scrambling to Replace Savannah Guthrie at 2026 Winter Olympics Amid Her Mom’s Disappearance

NBC is allegedly scrambling to find a replacement for Savannah Guthrie at the 2026 Winter Olympics amid the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.

“No one knows what to do,” a source told Rob Shuter in a post shared on his Naughty But Nice substack on Tuesday, February 3. “This has never happened at this level, this close to the Games.”

A second source said, “Everyone is praying Nancy is found. But we’d be irresponsible not to prepare for the worst.”

A separate NBC source added that there’s “no universe where Savannah gets on a plane to Italy right now” and Shuter reported that executives have been meeting “around the clock” to try and “reshuffle talent, rewrite scripts, and redesign coverage” in Guthrie’s absence.

On Tuesday, NBC confirmed that Savannah would not be traveling to Milan for the event.

“Savannah will not be joining us at the Olympics as she focuses on being with her family during this difficult time. Our hearts are with her and the entire Guthrie family as the search continues for their mother,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told Us Weekly in a statement on Tuesday, January 3. “We will share additional information about our Opening Ceremony coverage plans soon.”

As Star previously reported, the longtime Today host, 54, was scheduled to cohost the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, but plans changed when Nancy, 84, was reported missing on Sunday, February 1.

Nancy was last seen at her home in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, on Saturday, January 31, but, according to People, one of her adult children was notified when she didn’t show up for her regular Sunday church service the next morning. Since then, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has given several updates regarding the situation.

Nanos described Nancy’s house as “seriously concerning” and said that it was a “crime scene.” There were previous reports of blood being found at the home, but Nanos later clarified in a press conference earlier today that he was “not saying there’s blood inside that house or outside that house.”

Savannah has not returned to Today since news about her mom broke, but she did release a statement on behalf of her family that was read on air by her cohost Craig Melvin.

“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone for the thoughts, prayers and messages of support. Right now, our focus remains on the safe return of our dear mom,” the statement read. “We thank law enforcement for their hard work on this case and encourage anyone with information to contact the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900.”