Savannah Guthrie, the beloved host of NBC’s Today show, is making a steady comeback after undergoing vocal cord surgery to address nodules and a polyp. Guthrie, 54, revealed in December that she would be taking a few weeks off from the show to recover, and she has now shared an update on her progress.
During a virtual appearance on Today on Tuesday, Guthrie debuted her new voice, which she had previously described as “very scratchy” before the surgery. “You know what, I think it’d be easier for me to just talk!” she said, after initially using a whiteboard to communicate with her co-workers.
However, Guthrie explained that she can only speak for a limited amount of time each day as she continues her recovery. “I am still on vocal rest, but I’m allowed to talk for five to 10 minutes every hour,” she said. “This is my new voice or my old voice, but my new voice.”
While her colleague Al Roker told her that her voice “sounded the same,” fellow broadcaster Craig Melvin disagreed, stating that it sounded “markedly better.” Guthrie herself expressed optimism about the surgery’s success, saying, “I think the good news is that it worked!”
The TV host also shared that she will officially be back on Today as the regular daytime host next Monday, January 26. However, she will make a special appearance on Friday to share more about her experience and the surgery.
In December, when Guthrie first announced her planned absence from the show, she made a reference to a classic episode of The Brady Bunch, where Peter Brady’s voice was cracking as he sang. “Some of you have noticed that my voice has been very scratchy and started to crack a little bit like Peter Brady, who was going through a change,” she said at the time.
Guthrie expressed excitement about the prospect of fixing her scratchy voice, which she said had been an issue for years. “I’m really excited about it,” she explained. “This has been going on for years, honestly.”
With her recovery on track and her return to Today just around the corner, Savannah Guthrie’s fans can look forward to seeing her back on the air with a renewed and improved voice.