For a long time, Today was led by Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. However, after Kotb left, Craig Melvin took her seat. Then, Kotb returned to fill in as Guthrie dealt with the tragic kidnapping of her mother. Now, the two women have been reunited on screen, as they anchor Today on the 2026 TV schedule for the week, and Kotb opened up about her favorite part of working with her longtime colleague (and yes, I'm emotional about it).
Over the course of this week, while Craig Melvin has been on vacation, Hoda Kotb has been filling in for him. While she’s been back at Today for a while now, because she had been covering Guthrie in her absence, they haven’t shared much screen time. But that’s all changed now, and they’re both very happy about it, as Kotb told People:
It's been fun holding her hand. I mean, that's been my favorite part.
Well, now I need tissues. Considering everything Savannah Guthrie has been through, it's wonderful to see her back at work and so supported by her friends and colleagues. It's also lovely to watch her and Kotb do what they do best, which is report the news.
This week marks the first time Guthrie and Kotb have hosted Today together since her exit in January of 2025. That alone makes the reunion noteworthy. However, this also comes not long after Guthrie returned to the show after taking months off following the kidnapping of her mother, Nancy Guthrie.
At the moment, that investigation is ongoing. However, the anchor did return to work on April 6.
Getting emotional talking about all this, Kotb told the outlet why this reunion means a lot to her. Even though this is a temporary situation, she’s “privileged” to sit in the Today chair next to her friend:
Just sitting next to her. That's it. It's been really beautiful and I feel privileged to be able to sit there for a little while.
The story noted that Hoda Kotb got “choked up” while talking about all this. That makes sense, too, considering how close all the anchors seem to be on Today. Amid Nancy Guthrie’s investigation, the morning program has been covering the news surrounding it and reiterating their support for Savannah and her family.
During the interview, Kotb also explained that Savannah had told her that having her back on Today is “helping” her. However, it would seem that the street goes two ways, as Kotb explained:
I feel like I get to be in the seat to watch what strength looks like. There's nobody like her.
Of course, this is not the first time Savannah and Kotb have appeared on TV together recently. In March, the former Today host interviewed Savannah about what her family has gone through. During that segment, Kotb also reiterated the “grace” and strength her fellow anchor has shown during this trying time.
Overall, it's been lovely and emotional to see these two together again, and Kotb's comments really reinforce how much this all means to both of them.
Now, if you’d like to see Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb hosting Today together, they’ll be kicking off the show sitting next to each other for the rest of the week. So, you can tune in to the program on NBC every weekday starting at 7 a.m. ET.
