Savannah Guthrie's 4-Day 'Vacation' Was 'Pre-Planned' And We Love A Self-Care Queen

Imagine suffering a huge personal tragedy and then having to put on a smile at work in front of millions of people every day. That's what Savannah Guthrie has been going through for months, ever since the popular morning show co-host learned that her mother, Nancy Guthrie, had gone missing in a suspected abduction. Guthrie's initial return to "Today" in the midst of her family tragedy was far from easy, but the support of colleagues such as Jenna Bush Hager has been a comfort. She's done her best to stay professional, so it came as a surprise to fans when Guthrie was absent from July 8 to 13 without an explanation. Viewers couldn't help worrying that the anchor might have gotten some dire news.

Not to worry: People confirmed that Guthrie had always been scheduled for a short break, and sure enough, she returned on the 14th. She told "Today" viewers that she had simply taken some chill time at home watching the World Cup tournament. "I watched quite a few of them," Guthrie said (per Us Weekly). "And you should know, the France and Spain semifinal is today."

Guthrie's unapologetic admission to doing some couch-rotting is something we should all aspire to. Co-host Craig Melvin agreed, calling her time off "much-deserved." Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, and Carson Daly also took time off after the team's marathon July 4 weekend coverage, and Guthrie and Roker's absence from "Today" allowed new faces to shine in the meantime.

If anything, Savannah Guthrie's time off should be celebrated, not criticized or scrutinized. Ever since her mom's kidnapping, Guthrie's friends have been worried about her well-being. Living in this agonizing uncertainty, in addition to holding down a public-facing job and raising two young children, is a stressful situation most people wouldn't wish on their worst enemy. Yet, when a user on X posted a link to an article about Guthrie's return after her "much-deserved time off," not all of the reactions were supportive. Snarkers responded: "So strange to me," one wrote, with another adding, "She should have been organizing search parties to look for her mom!" Not to mention a simple thumbs-down emoji. 

Sadly, for all the talk about the importance of self-care, there's still a stigma attached to people who practice it. When Simone Biles made her jaw-dropping exit from the Tokyo Olympics, she faced "quitter" accusations, even though she could have been disabled or even killed if she'd tried to compete in her disoriented mental state. Guthrie's brief time-out was met with less criticism, but it shouldn't have been met with any at all.

At the time of writing, Nancy Guthrie's case remains unsolved, but her daughter is holding on to her strong reliance on faith and her loved ones to see her through. As Savannah told Hoda Kotb in their powerful March 2026 "Today" interview (per YouTube), "I will not let whoever did this take my children's mother from them. I will not let them take my joy. ... They will not take our love. They will not take our faith." If that means taking a few days off to catch a soccer match or binge-watch "Love Island," more power to her!