Who Is Savannah Guthrie’s Replacement at the Winter Olympics, Mary Carillo?

February 5, 2026

Following NBC’s announcement that Savannah Guthrie is dropping out of covering the NBC 2026 Olympics, her replacement has been announced. Mary Carillo will replace the TODAY show cohost as prime-time anchor for the Milan Cortina Winter Games, according to NBC Sports PR.

Savannah’s replacement was named after her mother Nancy’s sudden disappearance from her home. She has been missing since Sunday, February 1, when she didn’t show up to church.

Mary Carillo will replace Savannah Guthrie at the Winter Olympics 2026

Mary is a veteran broadcaster who has covered 16 Olympic Games for NBC Sports. She will be joined by Terry Gannon, a sportscaster and broadcaster for NBC Sports, Golf Channel and Peacock. Both will host the Milan Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony on Friday, February 6. Sportscaster and NBC Sports studio host Ahmed Fareed will host Olympic Late Night for the first three nights of the Olympics.

According to NBC Sports executive producer, Molly Solomon, the network is “fortunate to have a deep bench of talented commentators” and added that Mary is “a master storyteller.”

A native of New York, Mary is of Italian descent and lived in Milan for two years when she was young. Her broadcasting journey began in 1980 after her four-year professional tennis career concluded due to knee injuries. Since, 1996, Mary has served as an analyst for NBC’s French Open coverage. She is well-known for providing tennis commentary for USA Network, ESPN, CBS, HBO and Turner Sports. She also has covered 13 Olympics with NBCUniversal. This includes hosting three Closing Ceremonies and prominently covering the 2004 Athens, 2006 Torino and 2010 Vancouver Opening Olympic Ceremonies.

Mary has proven herself an award-winning sports broadcast veteran. She won a Sports Emmy for her contributions to HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. She has also won two Peabody Awards.

Savannah’s colleagues have voiced their support for her and her family. In a statement, Molly said, “Our hearts go out to Savannah and the entire Guthrie family. They continue to have our full support.” Both the FBI and Arizona’s Pima County Sheriff’s Department are investigating Nancy’s apparent kidnapping.

TELL US – IS MARY A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT FOR SAVANNAH?

Lisa White is a writer, editor and marketing professional with more than 30 years of experience. She has worked for a number of corporations, business and consumer publications and associations in a variety of industries, including food/foodservice, retail, distribution, venues/entertainment, finance, health care and insurance. White's background includes serving as editor for four magazines and assisting in the startup of three publications. She has been an independent writer since 2001 and is based out of the Chicago area.