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The Today show was missing a familiar face in the Tuesday, July 23, episode.
Savannah Guthrie, 52, was out for the day, with co-star Craig Melvin, 45, stepping in for her. Co-host Hoda Kotb, 59, shared that Guthrie had the morning off, but did not clarify why. One possible reason could be the upcoming Summer Olympic Games, which begin on Friday, July 26.
Guthrie will be joining her fellow Today co-hosts in Paris, France to report on the Games, and she and Kotb will also be a part of the Opening Ceremony, hosted by Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, and Mike Tirico. Guthrie and Kotb will reportedly be stationed on a bridge along the river Seine, per Hello!.
It’s possible that the mother-of-two took the morning off to prepare for her travels to cover the Games. That same day Guthrie shared an Instagram video to her Stories of a photo shoot the Today cast did ahead of their Olympics coverage.
“What it’s like having coworkers turned family. Paris, here we come!! #Olympics2024 #TODAYShow,” read the caption alongside the video in which Guthrie, Kotb, Al Roker, and Melvin look like they are having a blast while at an Olympics-themed USA photo shoot.
Back on July 11, the Today show surprised all of the co-hosts with their own Team USA gymnastics leotards just like the ones that will be worn at the Paris Olympics. The gift was particularly directed at Kotb, since Guthrie has dubbed her the “unofficial den mother of USA Gymnastics.”
Speaking with The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon back in March 2024, Guthrie explained the nickname. “She cheers for them so hard,” she said, sharing a sweet anecdote to prove that point. “Speaking of Tokyo, during the pandemic, where we weren’t allowed to really even look at each other, Hoda was like, ‘Well their families aren’t here and someone’s going to give them a hug’ and the Japanese government was like ‘Tell that woman to stop hugging the athletes.’ It was like an international incident.” Kotb added, “I almost got in trouble big time, big time.”
Team USA will feature Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast ever, in her third Olympic Games. Biles, 27, is one of the few athletes who can say they have competed in three consecutive Olympic Games. It’s such a big deal, that Biles revealed the Chicago Bears are allowing her husband, Jonathan Owens, 29, to miss training camp so that he can go support her.
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