Savannah Guthrie is saying goodbye to the “Today” show — for now.
The co-host revealed that she will be underling vocal surgery in the new year during the NBC program on Friday.
“Some of you have noticed that my voice has been very scratchy and started to crack a little bit,” Guthrie, 53, shared. “Well, I have found out what it is. I have vocal nodules and I also have a polyp. It’s not a big, big deal, but I am going to have to have a surgery in the new year and be off for a couple of weeks, so this is my last day for a little while.”
She added: “This has been going on for years, honestly, so to have a solution.”
The anchor joked that viewers may have thought she was actually having “the world’s longest head cold” when she was on-air. However, she’s “really excited” to have found out what the real issue was.
Due to the procedure, Guthrie won’t be able to speak for a couple of weeks.
“Totally silent,” she said. “Christmas coming early for my family!”
Guthrie and her husband, Michael Feldman, are parents of daughter Vale, 11, and son Charley, 8.
Co-host Sheinelle Jones revealed that she also has previously gone through the same surgery.
“The silver lining is you have permission to be still. The house gets quiet, the kids are gonna want to help you out,” she said. “A lot of the greats have done it, maybe you’ll come out singing like, I don’t know, Celine Dion.”
In response, Guthrie quipped: “Well, you know, it’s really funny, I used to sing. Then I couldn’t sing anymore and then I couldn’t speak anymore. So who knows, guys the tour is happening in 2026.”
Guthrie has shared previous health scares with viewers in the past. In 2019, she had to have eye surgery after her son threw a sharp toy train at her by accident.
“The retinal tear had deteriorated sharply, and I lost my vision. And that’s what happens if you don’t fix this: You lose your sight,” she told People at the time. “I was hoping that they weren’t going to get in there and see, ‘Oh, it’s worse than we thought. We can’t fix it.’ That was probably the lowest I felt, because I was just really scared.”
Guthrie’s openness about her health journey has long been a defining part of her relationship with Today viewers, many of whom have followed her career for more than a decade. By sharing personal challenges on air—from vocal strain to serious medical scares—she has consistently humanized the pressures of live television and the physical toll it can take. Her candid announcement about stepping away, even temporarily, was met with an outpouring of support from fans and colleagues alike, underscoring how deeply she is valued both as a journalist and as a familiar morning presence in millions of households. While her absence will undoubtedly be felt during her recovery, Guthrie made it clear that this is a pause, not a farewell, and that she looks forward to returning healthier, stronger, and with her voice fully restored.
