Savannah Guthrie is saying goodbye to the “Today” show — for now.
The co-host revealed during the NBC program on Friday that she would be undergoing vocal surgery in the new year.
“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.”
Savannah Guthrie on the “Today” show in 2023. Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images
Michael Feldman and Savannah Guthrie in NYC on Oct. 9. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
The anchor joked that viewers may have thought she was having “the world’s longest head cold” when she was on air. However, she’s “really excited” to have found out the real issue.
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, 9.
Sheinelle Jones, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin and Al Roker on the “Today” show. NBCCo-host Sheinelle Jones revealed that she has 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 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.”
