Originally published on 2/18/26

As the search continues for Savannah Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother Nancy, Hoda Kotb has made the decision to return to the Today show as an anchor. She’s sitting in Savannah’s place and has been there since Monday, February 9, a little over a week after Nancy went missing. 

“Well, first of all, I just want to say this whole thing is breaking my heart and I’m happy to be sitting here with you,” Kotb told Today show co-hosts Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones and Carson Daly the Monday she returned. “I’ve been wandering around going, ‘Where do we go?’ And I picture Savannah sitting [at the Today show desk.]  Anyway, I just want to say good morning, and everybody’s hoping and praying for Nancy’s safe return.” 

To honor that decision, we have decided to look back at the two’s longstanding friendship, which made history. Read on for more. 

The beginning of Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb’s friendship 

Kotb, age 61, and Savannah, age 54, met in 2011 after the former joined the third hour of Today. At the time Kotb was hosting Kathie Lee & Hoda—also known as the fourth hour of Today—and according to Savannah, it was “love at first sight.” 

“We shared an office. It worked out because we’re both really messy. We’re Team Messy!” she told TV Insider in 2018. “I remember walking into the office and around Hoda’s space was one shoe and a burrito, and her purse was splayed open full of stuff, with a Coffee-Mate spilling out. I was, like, ‘This is my woman. I get her, she gets me.’ We’re similar in age. We both have little ones. Hoda’s daughter, Haley, and my youngest, Charles, are almost the same age. We share the joy that we get to do parenthood, because both of us thought we missed our shot.” 

Following that, the two remained close friends and worked together on occasion, but it wasn’t until 2018 that the two saw each other every day and made television history. 

How Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb made TV history

Following the firing of Matt Lauer, Savannah’s former Today show co-anchor, in November 2017, NBC began testing out replacements.

In January 2018, they landed on Kotb, which marked the first time in Today show history that both anchors were female. 

“It is cool that we’re the first two women, and sometimes when we’re walking down the street and people say, ‘You go, girl,’ we think, ‘Oh, yeah, that.’ But it’s also that we’re like two puzzle pieces that work and would have worked if we were a guy and a girl or two guys. The main thing you really need in this job is someone to catch you if you fall,” Kotb told TV Insider. 

Savannah echoed similar thoughts, saying, “We both think that is really cool, and we’re so glad to be the ones. I feel happy and thrilled because I have a great partner in Hoda. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always thought this was the best job and I loved working with Matt. He was a great partner, but working with Hoda is a joy. I’ve never been happier, more satisfied and more at peace.” 

In the end, Savannah and Kotb remained co-anchors for seven years, with the latter deciding to leave in late 2024. She was replaced by Melvin, but continued to appear on the Today show from time to time. 

“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new,” Kotb said during her departure announcement in 2024. “This is a time in life for looking inside you and figuring out what your yearnings are, your callings—where or what direction you’re headed during this new decade.”

What Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb are doing now

In 2026, Savannah continues to be a Today show co-anchor, but has taken a step back for the time being to focus on finding her mom. Kotb temporarily took her place and even opted out of going to the 2026 Winter Olympics to be closer to Savannah and her family. Kotb and the rest of the NBC News family have also begun wearing yellow ribbons while filming to help show their support for Savannah and her family.

“I think there’s this helpless feeling. I mean, we’re all so close with her and we all want to help her,” Kotb told her Today show family earlier this month. “I’m looking at us and I was thinking, ‘Who was first in the hospital room when (my daughter) Hope was sick?’ Savannah… I mean, she was there. And I was thinking this morning. I was like, you know, they say love is patient, love is kind’—we’ll be patient and put prayers up.” 

Before rejoining Today, Kotb stayed at home with her two daughters and worked on releasing her new book Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life and app Joy 101, which aims to help users find joy in their everyday life.  

As the search for Nancy continues, Woman’s World joins Savannah and her family in praying for her safe return. Anyone with information is urged to contact either the Pima County Sheriff’s Department at 520-351-4900 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 520-351-4900. 

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/hoda-kotb-and-savannah-guthrie-relationship-explained