Savannah Guthrie Extends NBC Today Contract as Search for Missing Mother Nancy Stretches Into Its Ninth Month

Savannah Guthrie has extended her contract with NBC News, keeping one of morning television's most familiar faces at the anchor desk of "Today" during the most painful year of her life.

A person close to the situation confirmed the extension to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because it had not been made public. The length and financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. NBC News declined to make executives available for comment.

Guthrie, 54, had a contract that was set to expire at the end of this year, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Variety reported that her previous deal was believed to run out in late 2026 or early 2027.

A source told People that Guthrie "is not only so unbelievably strong, but she is the glue that keeps the show together."

Fifteen years at NBC

Guthrie joined NBC News in 2007 as a correspondent and spent three years covering the White House. She joined "Today" in June 2011 as chief legal correspondent and co-host of the show's third hour, and became a main co-anchor in July 2012.

She now co-hosts with Craig Melvin, who succeeded Hoda Kotb in January 2025. Guthrie is also a primary anchor for NBC's election coverage, most recently for last week's midterm elections, and has covered presidential campaigns and the Olympics. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, she remains NBC News' chief legal correspondent.

She is set to co-host the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade later this month.

Ratings strength

The renewal follows a strong season for "Today." According to NBC's September ratings announcement, the program beat ABC's "Good Morning America" and "CBS Mornings" in both total viewers and adults ages 25 to 54, leading both categories together for the first time in 14 years.

The show averaged 2.938 million viewers, 114,000 ahead of its ABC rival. "Today" will mark its 75th anniversary in January 2027.

A year of heartbreak

The contract extension comes as Guthrie and her family continue searching for her mother, Nancy Guthrie.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home in the Catalina Foothills neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of Jan. 31. Her family reported her missing the next day. The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department are investigating, and authorities are still trying to identify a person recorded outside her front door. The family is offering up to $1 million for information leading to her recovery.

Guthrie stepped away from "Today" after her mother disappeared and returned to the anchor desk on April 6. In a March interview with Kotb, she said it was hard to imagine returning to a job associated with joy and lightness while living with such uncertainty, but that she wanted to be back with colleagues she considered family.

She has repeatedly urged anyone with information to come forward. On Nov. 1, she shared an old drawing by her daughter, Vale, and wrote that daily life could look normal while her family continued to ache for her mother.

Wordle game show ahead

Guthrie is also set to host NBC's television adaptation of Wordle, a primetime competition series planned for 2027. Jimmy Fallon announced the project during a May 11 appearance on "Today."

According to NBCUniversal, contestants will compete in teams to solve five-letter word puzzles for a cash prize. Universal Television Alternative Studio is producing the show with Fallon's Electric Hot Dog and The New York Times, which owns the game.

Guthrie took a temporary break from her morning duties in July to film the season and returned to the anchor desk on Aug. 10.