When NBC rolls out its primetime coverage for the 2026 Winter Games opening ceremony, viewers expecting to see Savannah Guthrie at the desk will instead find a familiar Olympic voice taking the lead.
Mary Carillo to replace Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s Opening Ceremony coverage https://t.co/OUej315t32 pic.twitter.com/GbntV2A9v0
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 4, 2026
According to TMZ, veteran broadcaster Mary Carillo has been tapped to cohost the Milano Cortina Opening Ceremony, stepping in for Guthrie as the longtime Today anchor focuses on a family emergency back home. Carillo will share the stage with Terry Gannon and is expected to remain part of the network’s reporting team throughout the Games.
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For Carillo, the assignment is business as usual. The upcoming Olympics mark her 17th time covering the event for NBC, a résumé that includes everything from tennis analysis to feature storytelling. Network leadership framed the move as a natural fit.
NBC Olympics production president and executive producer Molly Shannon said the company is leaning on its “deep bench of talented commentators,” adding that Carillo is “one of the most experienced Olympic commentators ever and a master storyteller,” and that she and Gannon will guide viewers through one of the world’s biggest global events.
Guthrie’s absence is far more serious.
According to Complex, over the weekend, her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, was reported missing from her home near Tucson. Authorities say she failed to attend church Sunday morning, prompting concern from family members. Investigators now believe she may have been taken from the residence overnight.
“We know she didn’t just walk out of there,” Sheriff Chris Nanos said during an update, describing the property as an active crime scene. Search efforts have included helicopters, drones, and K-9 units. Officials also noted that Nancy has mobility limitations and does not have access to necessary medication.
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As the search continues, Guthrie has turned to the public for support. In a message shared on social media, she asked for collective prayer and hope, writing that her family believes “in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope,” and urging people to “raise your prayers with us… We need you.”
