Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin were all missing from The Today Show this week. While many viewers noticed the absences, each host had a different reason for being away.
Why Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin didn’t appear on Today
Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin, and Al Roker missed Tuesday’s Today show. The July 21 broadcast featured a different hosting lineup. Sheinelle Jones, Willie Geist, and Dylan Dreyer filled in for Guthrie, Melvin, and Roker.
Willie Geist explained that Guthrie was away filming her new NBC project. “Savannah’s taking a little time to film the very first episodes of the big Wordle game show coming here to NBC next year. We cannot wait for that.”
Craig Melvin, meanwhile, is taking a planned family vacation. “Craig, enjoying a little family time on vacation,” Geist said. Sheinelle Jones added, “I love that. He’ll come back all nice and rejuvenated.”
Last week, Savannah Guthrie announced she is taking a temporary break from NBC’s Today show. She is stepping away to film NBC’s new Wordle game show, which is expected to premiere next year.
The filming will take several weeks because the team plans to record the full season in advance. It is a temporary break, and she is expected to return to Today once filming is complete. Al Roker was also absent after appearing on Monday’s show.
Dylan Dreyer filled his spot on Tuesday. However, NBC did not share any specific reason for his day off. The three absences were not connected to the July 16 intruder incident at Today’s New York studio. Guthrie’s break and Melvin’s vacation had both been planned before the incident.
Guthrie first revealed her role as Wordle host back in May, alongside Jimmy Fallon, who is the show’s executive producer, along with The New York Times. The new Wordle game show is expected to premiere next year. Guthrie will return to Today after filming the season is complete.