Savannah Guthrie, a devoted Wordle player, has been announced as the host of a new show that will bring the online game to life.
On Monday, May 11, Jimmy Fallon stopped by TODAY to make the grand announcement and shared that he will be an executive producer of the “Wordle” game show, along with The New York Times.
“We’ve been developing Wordle as a game show for the past two and a half years with the New York Times, and it’s official, we are making Wordle game show with our host, Savannah Guthrie!” Fallon said on TODAY.
“We’ve been holding this secret between us for a long time now,” Savannah added.
Fallon said it was a no-brainer for Savannah to host the show.
“We were looking, we’re like, ‘Who’s the perfect host for this? We need to have someone that looks like they play Wordle, someone that knows how to run a show and host it.’ And we did the pilot, and you are amazing,” he said.
Wordle, which first launched in 2021 before it was acquired by The New York Times a year later, has become a global phenomenon as players try to solve a new puzzle daily.
Savannah has been a voracious Wordle player for years. In March 2025, she took on “every word nerd’s dream and possible nightmare” when she solved a mega-sized Wordle game on Time Square’s Mega-Zilla screen.
Before guessing the correct word, Savannah, who called Wordle her “daily gaming obsession,” visited The New York Times’ offices for a behind-the-scenes look at how wordsmiths create the puzzles. At the time, Carson Daly mentioned turning Wordle into a game show, and she liked the idea.
Reacting to the news of her new gig, Carson said Savannah is perfect for the job.
“She’s a perfect host. Loves games, super smart, awesome on TV. It’s going to be great,” he said.
The TODAY co-anchor will begin filming the “Wordle” game show this summer — and viewers can stay tuned about an air date.
Savannah said the show was originally meant to film in March, and she thanked NBC, Fallon, The New York Times and Universal for pausing production amid the search for her mother, Nancy Guthrie. Savannah stepped away from TODAY to be with her family before returning April 6.
“When everything happened with me and my family, they just stopped everything and said, ‘We’ll wait for you,’” Savannah said. “And Hollywood is like a really tough business, as you know, and I didn’t expect that. And I just want to say, thank you. It means so much to me.”
“We can’t do it without you,” Fallon responded. “We need you, bud. You’re so good, and it’s so fun. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It’s fantastic.”
Casting for the show is currently open. Applicants can visit apply. The deadline is May 29 at 5 p.m. PT.
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