Savannah Guthrie Reveals the 1 Thing That Brought Her ‘Joy’ During Her ‘Sadness’ as Her Mom’s New Ransom Note ‘Exactly What She Feared’
Having Savannah Guthrie back on the Today show amid the continued search for her mother, Nancy Guthrie, means everyone is getting a close look at how she’s coping—and how the family is trying to continue living in such difficult circumstances. And sometimes you find comfort in the most unexpected places.
Guthrie spoke to author Kate Bowler about her new book Joyful, Anyway, during the April 7 show, and the book seemed to hit very close to home.
Related: Who are Savannah Guthrie’s siblings?
“This is the book that I think I certainly need, but I think everybody needs,” Guthrie said. “And when we talk about joy, let’s make a distinction here — it’s not toxic positivity, it’s not happiness, it’s not gratitude journaling. Joy is something different and deeper.”
She added that she’d recently read the first part of the book and had nothing but praise for it. “I just found it to be so profound,” Guthrie said. “This is not a book I would’ve thought I would pick up if you were not such a good friend, and I was so glad I read it, because you just reach into those moments of sadness and identify how we can still find joy.”
Bowler also spoke of her own experience of finding joy even while battling stage 4 colon cancer. “When life happens, you realize there is going to have to be something bigger and deeper that can actually care you forward,” said Bowler, who is now in remission. “Joy is this shocking, enlivening, big yes. It’s not just a big feeling; it’s a story… that kind of truth, I think, is something that could carry us.”
The interview comes as the search for Nancy Guthrie continues. Savannah’s mom was taken from her house in Tucson sometime between the night of January 31 and the early hours of February 1. The investigation points to a masked, armed individual taking Guthrie from the house overnight. All of Nancy Guthrie’s valuables were still in the house, and there are no signs that the disappearance was a robbery gone wrong.
Savannah Guthrie returned to the Today show on April 6, and her return brought with it some expected consequences: more ransom notes. According to Rob Shuter, “She was told this would happen the moment she went back on TV. And sadly, it did.”
Law enforcement doesn’t seem to believe the new notes are real. The family received numerous ransom notes since Nancy Guthrie was taken, and yet did not pay any ransom, which points to the police being unable to ascertain the validity of the notes or a lack of proof of life attached to them.
The new notes could be more of the same, or an attempt by unscrupulous people to take advantage of the situation. “It’s exactly what she feared,” the source said. “People inserting themselves into the story for attention or money.”
The reward for information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is up to $1 million.
