NBC’s Today show has experienced a spike in viewership after the abduction of longtime anchor Savannah Guthrie’s mother.
The network’s flagship morning show is drawing hundreds of thousands more viewers since Nancy Guthrie, 84, was taken from her home near Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 1.
Over the five days through February 6, Today saw viewership jump 23 percent—or by 624,000 viewers—compared with the same period last year, Variety reported, citing data from Nielsen.
The show has dominated the broadcast morning lineup, drawing an average of nearly 3.3 million viewers, outpacing ABC’s Good Morning America at nearly 2.9 million and CBS’s CBS Mornings at 1.8 million.
Today captured 41 percent of the morning-show audience across the three broadcast networks, compared with 36 percent for GMA and 23 percent for CBS Mornings.
In the key 25-to-54 demographic prized by advertisers, Today experienced a 4 percent year-over-year decline, but still led the three morning shows with 648,000 viewers.
The show’s ratings spike also comes as NBC broadcasts the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, which Guthrie was set to report on.
Guthrie’s co-anchors Carson Daly, Sheinelle Jones, and Craig Melvin have covered for the 54-year-old host since her mother’s kidnapping, and the show has led each broadcast with updates on the search for Nancy.
Hoda Kotb, Guthrie’s former co-anchor who left the Today show in 2025, has also returned to fill in.
The Daily Beast has reached out to NBC for comment.
Nancy was last seen on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 31, when her son-in-law dropped her off after dinner, according to a sheriff’s department timeline.
The FBI on Tuesday released chilling photos of an armed and masked individual tampering with a security camera at Nancy’s house in the early hours of Feb. 1.
Authorities found blood and signs of forced entry at the home, and the FBI is also investigating a series of ransom notes.
“We believe she was taken out of the home against her will, and that’s how this investigation is moving,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told NBC on Monday.
A man was brought in for questioning on Tuesday in connection with the alleged abduction, but he was released just hours later. The man told reporters that he had “never heard” of Nancy Guthrie until he was brought in for questioning.
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