Savannah Guthrie breaks down in tears over Allison Janney’s tribute to missing mom Nancy at 2026 Emmys

Savannah Guthrie got emotional as she thanked actress Allison Janney for her tribute to her missing mom, Nancy Guthrie, at the 2026 Emmy Awards.

After winning the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the event, Janney, 66, brought up Nancy’s heartbreaking disappearance in the press room.

Nancy, 84, was last seen at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on January 31; she is believed to have been abducted.

Janney said she ‘thinks about’ Nancy and what ‘Savannah and her family are going through every day,’ and her sentiment left Savannah, 54, in tears.

During the Today show on Tuesday morning, the host broke down as she discussed Janney’s comments. 

‘Allison Janney took home the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. After accepting the award, the star spoke to reporters backstage in a moment we couldn’t help but notice,’ co-host Willie Geist told the audience before showing the clip of Janney talking about Nancy.

‘I honestly can say I think about Nancy every day and think about the loss and what Savannah and her family are going through,’ Janney said. 

‘I don’t think I’m alone, I think all of America is thinking about her,’ she added.

Willie described Janney’s words as a ‘beautiful expression of sympathy.’ 

‘I was so touched to see her do that. It’s her moment, [after] her triumph, for her to sit and take a moment to think about our family…’ Guthrie trailed off as she started to choke up.

‘I never let a moment pass if I get one to talk about my mom and how much we miss her and love her,’ she went on through tears.

‘My whole family – my sister and my brother and I and all of our extended family – are just in such pain.

‘We need help, so thank you to Allison Janney for remembering us and for giving an opportunity for me to renew that call. We just want our mom home and to be able to give her a proper goodbye, that’s all.’

‘It was a beautiful moment and this is about bringing Nancy home,’ Geist added, as he reminded viewers to call the FBI if they had any information on Nancy’s whereabouts.

‘You can call anonymously too, our family needs you,’ Guthrie concluded.

The investigation into Nancy’s disappearance has yielded no suspects or arrests, though new reports claim a ransom note sent to Savannah’s family indicated her mother was dead. 

A source told The Sun recently that Savannah is ‘holding it together,’ but said each latest development is gut-wrenching. 

‘The emotional toll is becoming impossible to ignore,’ the insider told the outlet. 

The source claimed executives understand the anchor may need another leave from her role at the Today show, saying: ‘Executives are quietly preparing for every possibility.’ 

‘They hope Savannah keeps working, but they also know she may need to step away without a moment’s notice,’ they added.

Guthrie stepped away from the Today desk for the first several months of the search, but returned to her post in April.

Over the past few months, Guthrie has been supported by her fellow co-hosts and coworkers, including Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager.

In an emotional March interview with Kotb, Guthrie opened up about the disappearance and the pain it has caused herself and her family. 

Guthrie said that she, her brother Camron and her sister Annie still do not know for sure what triggered Nancy’s January 31 abduction from her $1.4 million home – before breaking down at the thought that her fame may have encouraged the abductor to strike.

‘I don’t know that it’s because she’s my mom and somebody thought, “Oh that girl, that lady has money, we could make a quick buck,”‘ she said.

‘[It’s] too much to bear to think that I brought this to her bedside, that it’s because of me. I just have to say, “I’m so sorry, mommy. I’m so sorry.”

‘I’m sorry to my sister and my brother and my kids … I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.’