Savannah Guthrie Replaced on ‘Today’ by Fan-Favorite News Host Amid Absence From the Show

Savannah Guthrie was surprisingly missing from Today on Wednesday, July 19, raising questions about what happened to her. The talk show carried on with a fan-favorite correspondent filling in at the news desk in her absence — weekend host Willie Geist.

Savannah, 51, did not provide any reasoning for her disappearance from the program. The day prior, she interviewed Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan and posed for photos with fans outside of the NBC studio. Savannah was in good spirits as she waved to spectators while leaving the Today plaza after the show in a white dress and black platform pumps. 

Viewers were thrilled to see Willie return to the daytime program to lead news segments next to cohost Hoda Kotb on Savannah’s day off. One person tweeted, “@TODAYshow with @WillieGeist alongside @hodakotb is fantastic television.” 

Another fan wrote, “Always enjoy when @WillieGeist is on @TODAYshow.” 

This wasn’t the first time Savannah missed an episode of Today this month. On July 12, she was also absent from the series and was replaced by Craig Melvin at the news desk. Hoda, 58, shared that Savannah was “taking a day off mid-week” and needed “a little break.”

That same week, Savannah was photographed at Bruce Springsteen’s concert in London’s Hyde Park. She attended the event with her husband, Mike Feldman, and posed for photos with celebrity friends Roger Federer and Jon Bon Jovi. 

During the outing with her hubby, Savannah let her hair down and had fun with her edgy outfit. She rocked a black crop top and jeans at the event, which saw several more celebrities in the crowd listening to Bruce’s rock hits. 

It’s not uncommon for Today anchors to take days off and be replaced by their colleagues at the news desk. Weekend anchors Kristen Welker and Peter Alexander have also stepped in over the years when Savannah and Hoda have been out on vacation. 

Willie, 48, recently celebrated a huge milestone on TV — hosting his 300th celebrity interview on Sunday Today’s Sunday Sitdown segment. His 300th guest was Matt Damon, who chatted about everything from his family to his role as Leslie Groves in Oppenheimer. 

“It means the idea for a new kind of Today show has resonated with our audience,” Willie told E! News of his achievement this week. “It means our amazing team of talented bookers, producers and editors has created something unique and good and compelling to our viewers.”