Viewers will be without Savannah Guthrie’s smiling face on TODAY for in the new year — but it’s only temporary.

During the December 19 episode, Guthrie revealed to co-anchors Craig Melvin, Al Roker, and Sheinelle Jones that she would undergo vocal cord surgery in the next few weeks and would be temporarily absent from TODAY in 2026.

“Some of you have noticed that my voice has been very scratchy and started to crack a little bit like Peter Brady, who was going through a change,” the star explained. “Well, I have found out what it is. I have vocal nodules, and now I also have a polyp. It’s not a big, big deal, but I am going to have a surgery real early in the new year and be off for a couple of weeks. So it’s my last day for a little while. So I just want to let everyone know, and if you’ve been wondering, do I have the world’s longest head cold? No, I don’t.”

Nodules and polyps are noncancerous bumps or blisters that form on the vocal cords, affecting how a person speaks.

As fans might expect, this surgery will require Guthrie to stay quiet for weeks afterward.

“You’ll love this, guys. I have to be silent for a couple of weeks, totally silent,” Guthrie quipped. “Christmas coming early for my family.”

Jones, who underwent a similar procedure in 2020, reassured her co-star and encouraged her to see the upside of the surgery. “The silver lining is you have permission to be still,” she said. “The house gets quiet. The kids are going to want to help you out.”

After 70 Years, Today is Still Going Strong

While Guthrie will be out for a few weeks in early 2026, she’s expected to make a full recovery in time for NBC and Peacock’s coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games are right around the corner, and Guthrie is a big part of the festivities.

Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony of the XXV Olympic Winter Games begins on Friday, February 6, at 12 p.m. ET, with primetime coverage kicking off at 8 p.m. ET, simulcast on both NBC and Peacock. The Opening Ceremony will be hosted by Guthrie and longtime sports broadcaster Terry Gannon, with gold medalist Shaun White joining the duo on set.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to host the Opening Ceremony alongside the incomparable Terry Gannon and snowboarding legend Shaun White,” Guthrie said in a statement. “It’s such an honor to celebrate the world’s best athletes and introduce the magic and wonder of the Winter Games and northern Italy to viewers at home.”

On December 15, the Olympic committee announced that legendary pop star Mariah Carey would perform during the Opening Ceremony at the fabled San Siro Stadium in downtown Milan.