NBC News Today co-anchor Savannah Guthrie offered a deeply moving on-air response after actress Allison Janney's poignant dedication at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.
Speaking directly to viewers in New York on Tuesday, 15 September, Savannah expressed profound gratitude to Allison for utilising a moment of personal professional triumph to honour her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.
Allison Janney had spoken about Nancy after winning an Emmy in Los Angeles the previous night, saying she thinks about Nancy every day and about what Savannah and her family are going through.
Savannah said her family is 'in such pain' as she renewed an appeal for help finding her missing mother. The 84-year-old Tucson resident was reported missing on 1 February 2026, after disappearing from her Catalina Foothills home in Arizona.
Nancy Guthrie's Disappearance Remains Unresolved
Allison Janney won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role in The Diplomat at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday, 14 September. In the press room after the ceremony, Allison was asked about her concern for Savannah following Nancy's disappearance.
'I honestly can say I think about her every day and think about the loss and what Savannah and her family are going through,' Allison said.
She continued, 'It truly just took over. I don't think I'm alone too. I think all of America was thinking about her.'
The reference was to Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of 31 January, according to authorities. She was reported missing on 1 February, and her whereabouts remain unknown.
On Today, guest co-host Willie Geist described Allison Janney's comments as a 'beautiful expression of sympathy'. Savannah then explained why the moment meant so much to her.
'Yeah, I was so touched to see her do that,' Guthrie said. 'It is her moment. Her triumph. And for her to sit and just take a moment and think about our family.'
Nancy Guthrie's Family Renews Appeal for Help
Savannah Guthrie then turned from Allison Janney's comments to the family's continuing appeal for information.
'I never let a moment pass, if I get one, to talk about my mom and how much we miss her and love her,' she said. 'My whole family, my sister and my brother and I and all of our extended families, we're in such pain. We need help.'
She thanked Janney for remembering the family and for giving her another opportunity to renew that call for assistance. 'We just want our mom home. Give her a proper goodbye. That's all.'
The FBI and the Pima County Sheriff's Department are investigating the disappearance. The FBI has previously released photographs and video as part of its investigation.
One official appeal said investigators were seeking information about an armed individual who appeared to tamper with a camera at Nancy's front door on the morning of her disappearance. The agency said it was using the footage to help identify the individual.
The FBI's public notice also confirms that Nancy was last seen at her residence in Tucson's Catalina Foothills neighbourhood on the evening of 31 January.
The agency has continued to seek information that could lead to her location and to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in her disappearance.
The FBI's Phoenix field office has appealed for information and urged anyone with relevant details to call 1-800-CALL-FBI. The Pima County Sheriff's Office can also be contacted on 520-351-4900.
For Savannah Guthrie, the public appeals have continued alongside her return to Today. She previously stepped away from the programme after her mother's disappearance, then returned in April.
Speaking about that return, Savannah acknowledged how difficult it was to go back to a programme built around a very different emotional atmosphere.
'It's hard to imagine doing it because it's such a place of joy and lightness and I can't come back and try to be something that I'm not,' she said. 'But I can't not come back because it's my family.'
The message she delivered was straightforward. Her family still needs information, and every opportunity to keep Nancy's name in public view matters.
Allison Janney's intervention did not alter the investigation. It did, however, give Savannah Guthrie another national platform to make the point her family has repeated for months. They are still waiting for their mother to come home.
As investigators pore over ongoing digital analysis and incoming tips, relatives continue holding onto hope for answers. The shared national solidarity demonstrated by entertainment figures underscores the enduring public resonance of the unsolved mystery.
