Savannah Guthrie stepped away from the Today desk for a new television project, but her time off has included a reunion with one of her closest former colleagues.
Hoda Kotb shared a new photograph with Guthrie on August 6th, showing the longtime friends smiling with their arms around each other as they sat outdoors near a swimming pool.
“My favorite place… next to you,” Kotb wrote in the caption, tagging Guthrie.
The reunion comes several weeks into Guthrie’s temporary absence from Today, which she is using to film the first season of NBC’s upcoming Wordle game show.
Kotb Called Guthrie Her ‘Favorite Place’
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In the photograph, Guthrie wore a sleeveless black dress while Kotb appeared in a coral-red button-down shirt. “My favorite place… next to you ❤️ @savannahguthrie,” Kotb wrote in her August 6th Instagram post.
The two women no longer spend their mornings together on Today, where they were longtime colleagues and close friends. Kotb left her regular co-anchor position in January 2025, ending her seven-year run alongside Guthrie at the anchor desk. Their friendship, however, has continued well beyond Kotb’s departure.
Guthrie Is Filming NBC’s New ‘Wordle’ Game Show
Guthrie announced in late July that she would be away from Today for several weeks while working on NBC’s television adaptation of Wordle. “We’re going to shoot the whole season and we’re super excited,” she said, according to PEOPLE.
NBC announced the series in May, with Guthrie serving as host and Jimmy Fallon among its executive producers. The New York Times, which owns Wordle, is also involved in the production.
The primetime competition will adapt the familiar five-letter puzzle into a game-show format featuring contestants competing individually and in teams for a cash prize. NBC has said the series is expected to premiere in 2027 but has not announced a specific date.
Kotb Returned When Guthrie Needed Time Away Earlier This Year
The August reunion follows several professional reunions between the former co-anchors earlier in 2026. Guthrie stepped away from Today in February following the disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, from her Arizona home. Kotb was among the anchors who temporarily returned to help fill the vacancy.
In March, Guthrie chose Kotb for her first television interview since her mother’s disappearance, speaking with her longtime friend about what her family had experienced and appealing for information in the ongoing investigation.
Guthrie returned to her regular Today role on April 6th. One week later, Kotb was back beside her at the anchor desk when Craig Melvin took a vacation. “It’s good, it’s like the old times,” Guthrie said during their April 13th reunion.
Kotb Has Built a New Routine Since Leaving ‘Today’
Kotb announced in 2024 that she would leave her full-time Today role, explaining that she wanted more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope, and was ready for a different chapter after decades at NBC. Her final regular broadcast aired in January 2025.
Since then, Kotb has focused on her family and the Joy 101 wellness business while continuing to make occasional appearances on Today. Guthrie, meanwhile, remains one of the morning show’s co-anchors alongside Craig Melvin. Her current absence was announced as a temporary production break for Wordle, not a departure from Today.