Savannah Guthrie's 'Today' show finally gets return date

Savannah Guthrie will return to the Today show next month following a two-month break as the search for her missing mother Nancy Guthrie continues.

Her comeback date was announced on air by Hoda Kotb, who confirmed Guthrie will be back at the anchor desk on April 6. 

Co-host Craig Melvin said the team was looking forward to welcoming her back.

The announcement comes after the broadcast of the second part of Guthrie’s interview, in which she spoke openly about the emotional challenge of returning. 

"It’s hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness and 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. I think it’s part of my purpose right now," Guthrie said of returning to Today. 

She said she did not expect to feel the same but wanted to come back to a place she considers family.

"I want to smile. And when I do, it will be real. And 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. I have been so grateful to have this family. I consider this my family, my greater family, and when times are hard, you want to be with your family. And I want to be with my family," Guthrie added.

Guthrie also addressed speculations surrounding the supposed abduction of her mother, including ransom and suspicions leading to her own family.

Guthrie has been off air since her mother, Nancy, disappeared from her home in Arizona on January 31. Authorities later released surveillance footage showing a masked intruder outside the property on the night she went missing. 

The investigation is ongoing, with no suspects identified.

During her absence, Today has been led by Craig Melvin, with support from Hoda Kotb and other presenters. Earlier this month, Guthrie briefly returned to the studio to thank colleagues, saying she remains hopeful as efforts to find her mother continue.

The family has also offered a reward for information and donated $500,000 to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.