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Late last year, Savannah Guthrie announced her extended absence from the Today show.

She’d be undergoing something a bit more serious than matching tattoos with Drew Barrymore, this time.

Now, she is recovering from surgery, and has delivered a health update to fans.

Savannah isn’t back at the NBC desk just yet. And she’s thanking supporters for their prayers.

Savannah Guthrie in October 2025.
Savannah Guthrie attends the Project Healthy Minds World Mental Health Day Gala at Spring Studios on October 09, 2025. (Photo Credit: Rob Kim/Getty Images for Project Healthy Minds)

How’s she doing?

On Monday, January 5, Savannah Guthrie took to her Instagram page to deliver a health update.

The photo, as you can see below, features the beloved Today show host holding up a whiteboard.

“All good!” the message begins, written in squiggly lines with dry-erase marker.

“Thanks for prayers and love,” she expressed.

Savannah included a caption: “See you soon!”

Many public figures know better than to hold up a monocolor panel with writing on it.

For decades, pranksters and malefactors have doctored such images to say all sorts of things.

However, it’s clear that Savannah is simply unable to speak at the moment.

She is, after all, recovering from surgery on her vocal cords.

Naturally, fans flooded the comments with well-wishes, telling her how much they miss her, and showering her with emotional support.

Savannah Guthrie in September 2024.
Savannah Guthrie attends the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 08, 2024. (Photo Credit: John Nacion/Getty Images)

Why did she need surgery?

It was nearly a month ago, on December 19, that Savannah told NBC viewers that she would be taking time off in the new year.

Well, the new year is here. It’s 2026.

The 54-year-old journalist explained that she needed vocal cord surgery to address nodules and a polyp.

Savannah admitted that some viewers may have noticed that her voice had been “very scratchy” of late.

Not only did she need to have a surgeon remove them, but she needed to be on vocal rest during the recovery. Healing takes time.

Savannah Guthrie in February 2025.
Savannah Guthrie attends TODAY Show Radio Town Hall on SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on February 03, 2025. (Photo Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for SiriusXM)

To Savannah herself, she sounded as if she had “the world’s longest head cold.”

But she affirmed in December that she felt “really excited” to both know why her voice had changed — and a surgical remedy.

“This has been going on for years, honestly,” Savannah shared.

It sounds as if she has been on vocal rest for weeks.

Upon telling viewers that she would have to stop speaking for a while, she joked: “Christmas coming early for my family!”

Savannah Guthrie in May 2025.
Savannah Guthrie attends Hoda Kotb’s Joy 101 Launch Event at CURRENT at Chelsea Piers on May 28, 2025. (Photo Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Joy 101)

She isn’t the only ‘Today’ co-host to undergo this surgery

Fun fact: the whiteboard in Savannah’s photo is a gift from Sheinelle Jones, her c-host.

As it turns out, Sheinelle has undergone the same surgery in the past.

She offered Savannah some on-air advice at the time, suggesting that she enjoy being “still” and getting a lot of rest.

Sheinelle also joked that perhaps her co-host would come out of it with an amazing singing voice.

We don’t think that Ariana Grande voice transplants are a thing yet. But maybe one day.