Savannah Guthrie is expected to return to NBC’s “Today,” though exactly when remains uncertain, CNN reports, citing two people familiar with the network’s plans.

The longtime morning anchor has been absent from the broadcast since the final week of January, shortly before her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, was reported missing on Feb. 1.

Since then, Guthrie has devoted herself to what family members have described as an all-consuming and heartbreaking search effort.

Those close to the situation say her return to Studio 1A will happen on her own timetable. An NBC source emphasized that “her ‘Today’ family will welcome her back with open arms on her timeline.”

The 54-year-old co-anchor is widely viewed as the central figure of NBC’s top-rated and highly profitable morning franchise.

Her national profile quickly turned her mother’s disappearance into a major news story. Guthrie’s emotional video appeals for information have drawn widespread public attention and sympathy.

Earlier this week, Guthrie publicly acknowledged a painful possibility for the first time — that her mother may no longer be alive.

“And if this is what is to be, then we will all accept it,” she said. “But we need to know where she is. We need her to come home.”

In a further sign of the family’s urgency, Guthrie announced a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to her mother’s recovery. She also pledged a $500,000 donation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Some people close to Guthrie interpreted those remarks as a significant emotional shift in the family’s public posture.

“Living in this uncertainty is agonizing” for Guthrie and her siblings, former co-anchor Hoda Kotb said on NBC after airing Guthrie’s message.

Kotb, who left the program in January 2025, returned to help anchor the show during Guthrie’s absence.

For Guthrie, resuming her role may be difficult to imagine after such a traumatic chapter. But those familiar with her thinking say returning to the familiar rhythm of live television could also offer a measure of comfort when the time feels right.