Hoda Kotb was also missing from Tuesday’s show.
Savannah Guthrie abruptly left the air Tuesday while hosting TODAY after the co-anchor tested positive for Covid-19.
Guthrie wasn’t feeling well during the broadcast, and she didn’t appear back on the show after 7:30 a.m. Later that morning, Sheinelle Jones gave an update to viewers about Guthrie’s condition.
“It has been an interesting morning for us,” Jones said alongside Carson Daly and Al Roker, who, jokingly, slowly inched away from his co-host as she broke the news. “As we said, Savannah left early, she wasn’t feeling great, so she took a Covid-19 test. It came back positive, so of course, as soon as she found out, she rushed home to rest up. So Savannah, we love you, wishing you a speedy recovery.”
This is the third time the TODAY host, who is vaccinated and has received a booster shot, has tested positive. In May 2022, Guthrie told viewers that she had the virus and stayed home to isolate for five days. At the time, she told fans that it was a minor case and that she “just had a little cold.” Guthrie, 51, had another bout of Covid-19 in January 2022 as well.
Tuesday’s show was missing another familiar face. Co-host Hoda Kotb hasn’t been on the program for over a week. Kotb appeared in a pre-recorded segment on Feb. 20 for Presidents Day, but she hasn’t been on the air live since Feb. 17.
In the meantime, World News Tonight anchor Tom Llamas and 3rd Hour of TODAY anchor Craig Melvin have filled in for her. Some viewers had been worried about her absence, prompting Melvin to provide an update during Wednesday’s broadcast.
“As for Hoda, we know some of you are wondering how she’s doing,” Melvin said. “We can tell you, Hoda’s OK. She’s got a family health matter she’s been dealing with. We look forward to seeing Hoda and Savannah back here at the desk very, very soon.”
Whenever Kotb returns, and however long it takes Guthrie to recover from the virus, we can be sure they’ll each receive quite the warm welcome when it’s time to return. In fact, they just did the same for their colleague Al Roker, who made his way back on the air in early January after missing weeks of work following a complicated surgery to address blood clots. And in true TODAY fashion, his long-awaited arrival was particularly moving.
