Savannah said she was “so touched” by actress Allison Janney’s comments about her mom’s abduction at the 2026 Emmy Awards

NEED TO KNOW

• Savannah Guthrie opened up about her mother Nancy’s abduction during a heartfelt moment on the Today show on Tuesday, Sept. 15
• Allison Janney expressed sympathy for Savannah’s family while celebrating her win at the 2026 Emmys Awards the night before, touching viewers and colleagues alike
• The Guthrie family continues to seek help in finding Nancy, urging the public to share any tips with authorities

Savannah Guthrie was given an unexpected opportunity to talk about her missing mother, Nancy Guthrie, during the Tuesday, Sept. 15 broadcast of the Today show. 

While covering the 2026 Emmy Awards alongside guest co-host Willie Geist, the NBC morning show highlighted Emmy winner Allison Janney’s comments about Savannah and Nancy in the press room following her win. 

Janney, who won her eighth Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for The Diplomat, was greeted in the press room by a reporter who commented on her “compassion and concern” for Savannah after her mother was kidnapped from her Tucson, Ariz., home on Feb. 1. 

“I honestly can say I think about her every day and think about the loss and what Savannah and her family are going through,” Janney shared in the press room. “It truly just took over. I don’t think I’m alone too. I think all of America was thinking about her.”

Geist called Janney’s comments a “beautiful expression of sympathy,” adding that Janney was in her own moment of victory and took the time to acknowledge the Guthrie family’s pain.  

Smiling, Savannah, 54, replied, “Yeah, I was so touched to see her do that. It was her moment of her triumph and for her to sit and just take a moment and think about our family.”

The longtime journalist then added, “I never let a moment pass, if I get one, to talk about my mom and how much we miss her and love her, my whole family, my sister and my brother and I and all of our extended families, we’re in such pain. We need help. So thank you, Allison Janney, for remembering us and for giving an opportunity for me to renew that call.” 

Continuing to show her vulnerable side, Savannah added, “We just want our mom home, give her a proper goodbye. That’s all.”

Weatherman Al Roker added his thoughts on the Guthrie family, saying, “And Allison Janney speaks for almost everybody out there in America. We appreciate her bringing that to us.” 

Savannah has been public with her grief following her mom’s Feb. 1 abduction more than seven months ago. The mother of two took several months off from the Today show to be with her family in Arizona amid the ongoing investigation. 

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She returned to the Today show in April, explaining to Hoda Kotb at the time, “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 of the morning show at the time. “But I can’t not come back because it’s my family.” 

The FBI is urging anyone with tips or leads to call 1-800-CALL-FBI in addition to the Pima County Sheriff’s Office number, 520-351-4900.

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