Savannah Guthrie surrounded by ‘Today’ family in prayer amid mother’s disappearance

The cohosts and crew of Today shared a heartfelt moment with Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday, coming together in prayer as the journalist continues to cope with the ongoing disappearance of her mother, Nancy Guthrie, who has been missing for more than a month.

During a segment on Thursday, Craig Melvin described the emotional gathering that took place off-camera in Studio 1A. 

“You know, it was such a moving morning yesterday here in Studio 1A,” he said. “And one of the most moving parts came…when Dylan Dreyer, certified meteorologist and also apparently a pastor in training, led us in spontaneous prayer.”

Dreyer explained the decision to pray: “It felt like the right moment for all of us. We all feel so helpless during this situation. When I feel helpless, I pray…here we were, each of us praying individually. Why not hold hands and send up one big prayer to God? Let’s ask for a miracle. He wants to feel needed, right? And so we asked for that miracle, and if you don’t ask, you don’t receive.”

She added that the prayer provided comfort to both Guthrie and the Today family. 

“I think we also needed peace and comfort, and prayer does that. And I think Savannah felt our love as a family. We gave that love to her as our gift.”

The moment included nearly 100 members of the show’s crew. Carson Daly described the scene as profoundly moving. 

“She came into the middle, no speech, just spoke from the heart, and said the most perfect words you could ever imagine,” Daly said. 

“Yesterday was, I think, one of the most special days, not just in our lives professionally, but personally. Her grace is second to none under pressure, and her faith…I just can’t say enough incredible things about what an amazing spirit she is.”