Savannah Guthrie Announces Leave of Absence From ‘Today’ Show

Savannah Guthrie is taking a break from the Today show to bring a popular word puzzle to the airwaves.

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The NBC star, 54, said she would be taking a break from the morning show for a “few” weeks to film the pilot for Wordle, a beloved New York Times game that is coming to TV soon.

NBC first announced in May that it would produce a game show inspired by Wordle, a game published by The Times that challenges players to guess a mystery five-letter word in up to six attempts.

The TV version, hosted by Guthrie, is set to air on NBC primetime next year. The half-hour show will see contestants compete for a cash prize. It will be filmed in Manchester, England with The Times and late-night star Jimmy Fallon serving as production partners.

Guthrie’s co-hosts said they’ll miss her as they spoke about their shared love of Wordle. She previously said she shares her scores with friends in multiple group chats, including one called “Wordle Nerdle” that includes Today co-host Carson Daly and his wife.

Guthrie also shared her love of Wordle with her mother Nancy, who is still missing since getting kidnapped from her Tucson, Arizona home in February.

“Everything is strange right now,” Guthrie told The Times in May. “It’s strange to get up and do the Today show every day, and it’s strange to say that I’m going to do a game show when your heart is broken.”

“Nothing about that has changed, and it’s not easy,” she continued, “but I’m determined to put one foot in front of the other. And this is a joyous thing.”

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Guthrie stepped away from the Today show for two months after her mother disappeared. She returned in an emotional episode in April.

“It’s hard to imagine doing it because it’s such a place of joy and lightness,” she said. “I can’t come back and try to be something that I’m not. But I can’t not come back because it’s my family.”

Authorities continue to search for Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother. Earlier this week, the Pima County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement warning people against a QR code scam asking for money related to the investigation.

The Today show was rocked by a disturbing incident the same morning that Guthrie made her announcement.

The New York Police Department said in a statement that “a disorderly person” was reported inside 30 Rockefeller Center at about 9:19 a.m.

The unnamed man was apparently looking for weatherman Al Roker, but when he couldn’t find him, he turned to host Craig Melvin, yelling the N-word at him. The intruder was quickly apprehended by security and later arrested.