‘Today’: Savannah Guthrie Gets Emotional Over Childhood Photo as Nancy Guthrie Search Continues

Savannah Guthrie had an emotional on-air moment during the Thursday, May 7, episode of Today.

For her daily “Morning Boost” segment, Jenna Bush Hager shared a funny viral video of a kid practicing his picture day smile. The photos that came back, however, featured the young student making several funny faces.

“That got us thinking — and none of us really have our picture day pictures — but what we looked like in our kindergarten era,” Bush Hager said before showing off some of the Today hosts’ adorable childhood photos, starting with Guthrie.

In her childhood photo, Guthrie smiled at the camera while sporting her Bluebird Camp Fire Girls outfit. Guthrie corrected Bush Hager for thinking her photo was taken in a picture day outfit, stating, “That was a Bluebird.”

Guthrie appeared teary-eyed while recalling where the photo was taken. “That was in my backyard,” she said, referring to her childhood home in Tucson, Arizona. Bush Hager gushed, “Aww, so sweet.”

NBC

Last month, Savannah returned to the NBC morning show after taking two months off amid the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie. Nancy was allegedly abducted from the Tucson home on January 31 and was reported missing by her family the following day.

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Savannah’s childhood photo moment comes one day after she abruptly left Today mid-show. The anchor was present for all of the 7 a.m. ET hour and half of the 8 a.m. hour, as she left before the hosts greeted fans out on the 30 Rockefeller Center Plaza.

“Savannah had to leave a little early,” Craig Melvin stated, noting that she would be back on the show on Thursday.

Savannah’s absence caused her to miss a reunion with one of her former high school teachers out on the Plaza. “Was Savannah a great student?” Bush Hager asked the woman, who replied, “Oh, yeah. Good student.”

Savannah shared her appreciation for the teacher by posting a photo of her sign — featuring her freshman and senior year picture day snaps — on her Instagram Story. “Thank you for coming,” she wrote on Thursday.

Courtesy of Savannah Guthrie/Instagram

The reason for Savannah’s mid-show exit has not been publicly shared, leaving some fans to speculate that her absence was related to Nancy’s investigation. Wednesday marked the premiere of The CW‘s NewsNation Presents: The Nancy Guthrie Mystery special, which featured interviews between Brian Entin and experts about the case.

A source later claimed to Page Six that Savannah left the show early for “some sort of appointment,” and that her exit “had nothing to do with her mom.”

Today, Weekdays, 7am, NBC