Guthrie recently underwent an operation to fix her long-standing voice issues that led to a three-week absence from the show.

*Today *host Savannah Guthrie breaks down in tears hearing new voice for first time after throat surgery

Guthrie recently underwent an operation to fix her long-standing voice issues that led to a three-week absence from the show.

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January 23, 2026 10:59 a.m. ET

Savannah Guthrie on 'Today' after her vocal cord surgery. Credit:

- *Today* host Savannah Guthrie cried after hearing her new voice for the first time after her recent surgery.

- The TV personality was absent from the show for three weeks as she sought treatment for damaged vocal cords.

- "I'm so grateful to all of you," Guthrie told her colleagues during her *Today* return.

Savannah Guthrie's health is in the clear — and so is her voice — after a three-week absence from *Today.*

The* *54-year-old host made her long-awaited return to the NBC talk show this week following a hiatus to undergo corrective surgery for vocal cord damage. She documented the process along the way, capturing herself crying on camera after hearing her new, post-operation voice for the first time.

Guthrie hosted a mini segment chronicling her health journey that included a montage of clips showing a decline in the quality of her on-air voice in recent months. "No longer able to just ignore it," Guthrie said in the footage. She sought treatment from a voice specialist, who discovered a ruptured blood vessel on one cord and a callous from overuse on the other.

Savannah Guthrie in 2023.

Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty

She described having "beleaguered vocal cords" leading up to the surgery, which took an hour and required eight days of total silence afterward.

The host said she followed her doctor's orders meticulously and remained completely quiet for the entire period.

*Today* then documented Guthrie's follow-up visit to her medical team, with her breaking down in tears upon hearing her newly smooth voice for the first time in months.

"Say what you say every morning," her doctor instructed while he stuck a scope down her nose to view her vocal cords. Guthrie responded, saying, "Good morning. Today is Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. I am using my voice for the first time and it sounds good. I could cry."

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Guthrie then hugged her doctor and wiped tears from her eyes before the segment showed her in voice therapy to further strengthen her newly healed cords.

Back in the *Today* studio, Guthrie thanked her colleagues for covering for her in her absence.

Savannah Guthrie in 2024.

Dia Dipasupil/Getty

"I'm so grateful to all of you at this place and my bosses at NBC, who have been nothing but supportive. To take three weeks off is a big, big deal," she said. "I'm so grateful to be back, and I'm ready to go."

Earlier this week, Guthrie rejoined her peers via video feed, telling them, "I am still on vocal rest, but I'm allowed to talk for five to 10 minutes every hour."

Guthrie first announced her plan to address her vocal cord issues on Dec. 19, which also served as her final day on air ahead of her hiatus. The broadcaster's full-time return to *Today* is set for Monday.

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