Savannah Guthrie Leaves 'Today' Mid-Broadcast While Hoda Kotb Remains Absent From The Show

Savannah Guthrie shocked many viewers when she didn't return to the "Today" show after a commercial break.

Hoda Kotb missed Tuesday's episode of "Today." Meanwhile, Guthrie had to leave early, Us Weekly reported.

"Willie [Geist] joins us in for Savannah, who had to leave a little early this morning," Sheinelle Jones, who typically helms "Today's 3rd Hour," said on the show at 7:41 a.m. local time.

Guthrie was present at the top of the show but didn't return after a commercial break. According to Jones, her co-host wasn't feeling well before explaining Guthrie's early departure from the program.

"By the way, it has been an interesting morning for us," Jones explained alongside Al Roker and Carson Daly. "As we said, Savannah left early, she wasn't feeling great, so she took a COVID test. It came back positive."

Jones added that when the test results came, Guthrie "rushed home to rest up," Page Six added.

"So, Savannah, we love you. Wishing you a speedy recovery," Jones continued.

The outlet noted that it's the third time Guthrie tested positive for COVID-19. She previously contracted the virus in January 2022 and May 2022.

Meanwhile, Kotb hasn't returned to "Today's" live shows. She was last featured in a pre-taped President's Day episode of "Today with Hoda and Jenna," which aired on Feb. 20, with her co-host Jenna Bush Hagger.

On Feb. 27, Guthrie told fans that Kotb was "off today" without explaining the latter's over-a-week absence from the program.

Fans wondered why Kotb has been absent on "Today." While she hasn't been seen on camera lately, Kotb is active on social media.

On Monday, she shared a cryptic post featuring a painting with the words "Choose Hope" written above a cloudscape. She captioned it with two red heart emojis.

Several netizens commented on her post, wondering what was going on because she was not on "Today" for nearly two weeks already.

"Find it difficult to watch with you not being there," one viewer commented. Another added, "Hope everything is OK, Hoda. You are missed."

"'Today' show just isn't the same without you! I hope you're OK. But boy if they are letting you go ... people are going to drop like flys [sic] watching 'Today.' We love Hoda!" a third commenter added.