Savannah Guthrie to Host New Wordle Game Show Amid Family Crisis
Savannah Guthrie's New Role
Savannah Guthrie has revealed that she will be the host of a new television adaptation of the widely popular word puzzle game, Wordle. This announcement comes as she continues to search for her missing mother. During an appearance on NBC's Today show alongside Jimmy Fallon, it was disclosed that the game, owned by The New York Times, is being transformed into a game show format after two and a half years of development. Fallon stated, "We've been working on Wordle as a game show for the past two-and-a-half years with The New York Times. And it's official: Savannah Guthrie will be our host!"
The upcoming show is inspired by the online word-guessing game that took the world by storm after its launch in 2022. Fallon, who is also the executive producer, emphasized that the game show will be enjoyable for audiences of all ages. He noted, "Everyone can participate, and it’s not a trivia game where you need to know a lot of facts. It’s simply about guessing a word."
Guthrie expressed her excitement about the show, describing it as "super-fast-paced and fun," and aimed at family audiences. She remarked, "I enjoy games and shows that families can watch together, where kids can learn something while having fun." Fallon mentioned that the production team unanimously agreed that Guthrie was the perfect choice for the role. He said, "We needed someone who embodies the spirit of Wordle and knows how to host a show effectively." He praised her performance during the pilot episode, stating that the entire crew felt the show couldn't proceed without her.
This announcement comes during a challenging time for Guthrie, who is still coping with the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, reported missing from her Tucson home on February 1. The investigation is ongoing, and no suspects have been publicly identified. Reports indicate that the launch of the Wordle show was postponed due to filming delays originally set for March. Guthrie took a two-month leave from the Today show following her mother's disappearance but returned last month. During Monday's broadcast, she expressed gratitude to NBC and the production team for their support during her family's crisis, stating, "When everything happened, they paused everything and said, ‘We’ll wait for you.’"
In a heartfelt message shared on Instagram ahead of Mother's Day, Guthrie dedicated a post to her missing mother, saying, "We miss you with every breath. We will never stop looking for you. We will never be at peace until we find you." Her husband, Michael Feldman, also shared a tribute, calling her "the strongest person." On the show, Guthrie wore yellow, a color she has associated with hope and remembrance during her mother's search.