Savannah Guthrie temporarily stepped away from her presenting duties after her mother’s disappearance. She also stood down from NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics.
In the interview with Today, she said that returning to the morning news programme is “part of my purpose right now” and said she is “not gonna be the same”.
She said that she wants to smile again, and that “when I do, it will be real. My joy will be my protest”.
Craig Melvin, Savannah Guthrie’s co-host, said the programme “cannot wait to welcome her back with open arms”.
Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home in Catalina Foothills, Tucson, on 31 January evening, when family members dropped her off around 21:30 local time (04:30 GMT).
Concern over her whereabouts grew after members of her church noticed she had not attended its Sunday service.
Since then, a nationwide search for Nancy Guthrie has unveiled several leads, including discarded gloves, DNA evidence and alleged ransom notes, but it has not lead to any major progress.