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Between taking a hiatus after her mom’s disappearance, an intruder showing up on Today, and Savannah Guthrie taking some time to be with her immediate family, she’s been on and off the air for several months now. Recently, we again learned she’s going to be heading away from the Daytime show, and this time it’s Jimmy Fallon who’s lured her away.
On Thursday, Guthrie was on air when she announced she will, once again, be taking a break from Today. If you happen to be watching the a.m. program and notice her absence, this is where she will be:
We’re about to do it. Guys, I’m headed over to shoot Wordle over the next few weeks. We’re going to shoot the whole season and we’re super excited.
The Wordle thing has been looming in the background over the last couple of months. We knew Guthrie was on the series based on the popular NY Times game as early as June when Craig Melvin mentioned she’d be missing for a bit so she could take some “production meetings” for the upcoming game show.
The good news is that it sounds like Wordle will be filming in one large chunk for a 2027 TV schedule release. So, at least this won’t be a case where she’s off the air a couple of days, then back, then off again, then back and so on and so forth. Instead, she’s taking another hiatus and should be back in full after. Theoretically.
There had actually been insider chatter around the time Nancy Guthrie disappeared that Savannah might not decide to return to Today. In her absence, Craig Melvin and Hoda Kotb were doing pretty well together. With so much going on, it seemed like it might have been a good time to part ways, but ultimately, Guthrie chose to come back. Unfortunately, I feel like since she’s been back she’s had one foot out the door. It’s not a bad thing, but I would love a little more stability for the Today audience.
Which brings me to NBC, Jimmy Fallon and other opportunities for network names.
How Does Jimmy Fallon Factor Into All This?
Late night host Jimmy Fallon and Savannah Guthrie are both under overall contract at NBC. They are 30 Rock talent through and through, and both are in jobs that are steadily seeing advertising rates lower while costs swell. This loss in ad revenue is allegedly what took down The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and while the Jimmys have seen ratings improvements with CBS out of the game, it's unclear if late night will see more changes in the future.
One way Fallon has tried to stay in the game within the changing landscape is to increase his producing presence outside of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He’s been a producer for a long time, gifting us the Tom Holland and Zendaya Lip Sync Battle gift that keeps on giving. However, his more recent tries at bat have done less well.
His latest series On Brand with Jimmy Fallon was considered a flop, and was canceled after an erratic airing schedule. That’s My Jam only lasted a little longer. And the more successful Password still has aired off and on, as well. Those in the know allege the late night host needs a hit. Perhaps he’ll find it with Guthrie and Wordle.
Meanwhile, Today has allegedly been making plans in case Savannah Guthrie steps away, and if Wordle ultimately ends up breaking big on the Peacock network, she may just step into her Rob Lowe era.
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