Throwback Video Of Savannah Guthrie Praising Mom Nancy Highlights Their Close Bond

Savannah Guthrie's already difficult 2026 took a terrifying twist when her mom was reported missing from her home in Arizona. Nancy Guthrie vanished sometime around the evening of January 31 — she had just returned from having dinner with her other daughter, Annie Guthrie — and, as of this writing, the authorities appear no closer to locating her. Savannah took a leave of absence from her morning-show job so that she and her siblings could focus on the case and support one another. When Savannah Guthrie returned to the "Today" show in April, she reportedly leaned on co-host Jenna Bush Hager for support. According to a source who spoke to Page Six, "She's gotten emotional between commercial breaks." But the host takes care not to let her sorrow show on camera. 

The super close relationship between Savannah and her mother only makes the situation even more tragic than it already is. Back in 2011, the two-time Emmy winner was filmed for Today.com (seen here) answering questions from Facebook fans. One viewer wanted to know, "Who do you admire most in life, and has he or she inspired you to become the person you are today?" After allowing that there were many people on her list, Savannah confirmed her mom is who she admires most.

"I'm just really proud of her, because not only was she a great mom to us — I have a brother and a sister — and she was a stay-at-home mom, and she really poured herself into bringing us up," the TV personality explained (per Today.com). "But when I was a teenager, we lost my dad, and at that point, she went back to work, and she had a whole career. And to me, she's just an inspiration."

There are plenty of tragic details about Savannah Guthrie's family, but the apparent abduction of their matriarch is a heartache all its own. While the morning-show star and her siblings, Camron and Annie Guthrie, remain hopeful, they're also keenly aware that closure is likely to bring even more grief. Nancy Guthrie was 84 at the time of her disappearance, had a pacemaker, and took daily cardiac medication; even if she is miraculously found alive, her medical condition may be quite fragile. And yet, even if the worst-case scenario should happen, the "Today" host can at least take some comfort in knowing she'll be able to continue her mother's legacy by following the wisdom Nancy taught her from early on. 

In 2014, when Savannah was expecting her first child, she wrote an essay for Today.com about the parenting lessons she'd learned from Nancy (Savannah Guthrie has two kids; she struggled to conceive her second). Some of the advice is simply sweet: Write love notes on your child's lunchbox napkin; create special occasions to celebrate annually. Other tidbits are pure mom gold: "Have a few go-to recipes and make them over and over... and over. You're a mom, not a chef." And: "Respond to the statement 'I'm bored' with 'Then go play.'"

Savannah's daughter and son, Vale and Charlie, turn 12 and 10 respectively in 2026. Hopefully she has employed some of Nancy's guidelines herself, particularly this one: "Be scrupulously fair and equal with all siblings." Of course, we know that the beloved TV personality follows at least one of her mother's suggestions to the letter: "Be invested in [your kids] but have your own life. Be your own person. That teaches [them] volumes."