Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie Return to ‘Today’ Duties on NBC

variety.com:

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie both returned to their duties on NBC’s “Today” after dealing with personal challenges that kept both anchors off air for several days.

Kotb, who had been off the program for abouttwo weeks, told viewers Monday that her youngest daughter had been in intensive care in the hospital for an undisclosed illness, but had recently returned home.

Guthrie had to leave the program abruptly last week after discovering she had a new coronavirus infection. The two anchors addressed their absences early in the program, during the broadcast’s opening minutes.

The departure of the show’s regular co-anchors came after “Today’ defeated ABC rival “Good Morning America” in the critical advertiser-favored demographic — people between 25 and 54 — for the first time in five weeks. “Today” and “GMA” are locked in an eternal battle for dominance among A.M.