It's only been two weeks since "Today" fans last saw Hoda Kotb on the NBC morning show, and already, her return date has been set. Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin kicked off the show's April 9th episode with some exciting news.
"Speaking of tomorrow, Craig, you're heading off on a well-deserved vacation. You've been holding it down here for a long time," Guthrie told Melvin. "So, you're gonna have a spring break."
Guthrie continued, "And on Monday, we're gonna try a new host here. Her name is Hoda [Kotb], and she's gonna fill in for you next week. That will be fun."
"Oh, I've heard of her!" Melvin joked before stating, "That will be fun. I won't see you. I won't turn on the TV, but it'll be fun." Guthrie replied, "Yeah, don't. You're not supposed to watch on your vacation." (Guthrie didn't share who would fill in for Melvin on April 10th.)
Kotb previously served as Guthrie's co-anchor on the NBC morning show, taking over for Matt Lauer in 2018 following his 2017 sexual misconduct scandal and firing. She left her longtime role on the show in January 2025 but has continued to make appearances to promote her latest projects.
In February, Kotb returned to her former role after Savannah traveled to her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, to be with her family amid the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie. Nancy was last seen at her home on January 31st and was reported missing the following day. Authorities have yet to name any leads as the investigation continues. Savannah and her family have been cleared as suspects, and a reward of up to $1 million has been offered in exchange for information about Nancy's whereabouts.
Savannah paid a visit to "Today"'s Studio 1A in March before sitting down with Kotb for an exclusive "Today" interview. During the second half of the interview, aired on March 27th, Savannah admitted it was "hard" to imagine returning to the show while her mother remains missing.
"I can't come back and try to be something that I'm not. But I can't not come back because it's my family," she told Kotb. "I want to smile, and when I do, it will be real. My joy will be my protest. My joy will be my answer, and being there is joyful. And when it’s not, I’ll say so."
Addressing the investigation, Savannah added, "Someone knows something, even if that something is someone’s been acting strange for the last seven, eight weeks. Even if it’s just that, somebody knows, and maybe somebody’s afraid. But our hearts are in agony. We can’t breathe. We can’t live. We can’t go on. We can’t be at peace. We can’t go forward. We have to know what happened to her."
Kotb skipped out on last week's "Today" episodes, while Weekend Today's Laura Jarrett sat alongside Melvin at the anchor desk. Savannah made her highly anticipated "Today" return on Monday, April 6th. "It is good to be home," she said at the top of the episode.
Savannah later got teary-eyed while greeting fans out on 30 Rockefeller Plaza. "These signs are so beautiful. You guys have been so beautiful," she gushed. "I received so many letters and so much kindness from me and my whole family. We feel it. We feel your prayers, so thank you so much."
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