Why Does Savannah Guthrie's Voice Sound So Scratchy? She Finally Has A Diagnosis

When you're one of the most prominent co-anchors of a popular news show like Savannah Guthrie of TODAY, you rely on your voice daily to carry you from one broadcast to the next. However, Guthrie's voice began to change in unwelcome ways in 2025.

According to comments Guthrie made on a December 19 TODAY episode, her scratchy and cracking voice became enough of a health concern that she sought medical care. Her diagnosis: nodules and a polyp on her vocal cords. These types of lesions aren't uncommon among people who use their voices for a living, although you don't have to be a celebrity to experience this kind of problem. (This is what happens to famous singers' voices as they age.)

Vocal cord nodules typically occur in the middle of the vocal cord tissue flaps, causing an interruption in normal vocalizations. Polyps tend to be on a single tissue flap fold and may be larger than nodules. Fortunately, these types of occurrences are benign, albeit frustrating — especially for public figures who speak or sing regularly. (Here's the medical reason that explains Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s voice.)

Though non-invasive treatments, including speech therapy, can help people with vocal cord nodules and polyps, Guthrie announced that she was going through with surgery. "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," she told her colleagues and viewers.

Typically, this kind of surgery requires complete vocal rest followed by gradual use of the voice again. Laryngologist Dr. Haley Sibley told Henry Ford Health that every case is unique. That said, Dr. Sibley advised that "some surgeons recommend five days to up to two weeks of complete voice rest after vocal cord surgery, while others recommend modified voice rest." Guthrie has certainly indicated that staying silent is part of her recuperative plan, joking that it means "Christmas coming early for my family."

Total recuperation from vocal cord surgery may take up to six months, depending on the patient. However, Guthrie is currently slated to be one of the premier hosts for the Winter Olympics, which begin in early February 2026. If she has surgery the month before, she will only have about four to five weeks to recover before being on camera again. (Read up on things you should never do before having surgery.)