‘Today’ Staff Worried an ‘Irreplaceable’ Savannah Guthrie Won’t Return to Show Amid Family Turmoil

When Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy, vanished from her Tucson home Feb. 1, the Today show cohost was laser-focused. She pulled out of NBC’s Olympic coverage and traveled to be closer to the scene of the crime, appearing in heart-wrenching videos pleading with potential kidnappers alongside her sister, Annie, and brother, Camron. “We still have hope,” the 54-year-old posted Feb. 15, addressing her mom’s captor: “It’s never too late to do the right thing.”

But as the weeks drag on, some are concerned about what will happen to the increasingly distraught Savannah, even if the ordeal concludes with her mom home safe and a suspect in custody. Her former cohost Hoda Kotb happily returned from retirement to sub in for her friend.

“Everyone loves her, and she’s told the bosses they can count on her,” a source tells Star, adding that “Savannah’s job is there for her whenever she wants to return.” At presstime, with no suspects in sight, that return is unimaginable.

“Everyone’s hoping and praying she’s able to come back,” says the source. “But there’s worry she may not. Savannah is irreplaceable. She’s the heart and soul of the show.”