New Delhi, March 28 -- Savannah Guthrie, who will return on April 6 as co-host of NBC's "Today" show after a nearly two-month absence sparked by the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, said in an interview that aired on Friday that "joy will be my protest."

Guthrie, speaking with colleague Hoda Kotb, said that while it's hard to imagine returning to a place of joy and lightness, she wants to try, even as she acknowledged she's not sure she can do it or if she'll belong anymore.

"I can't come back and try to be something that I'm not. But I can't not come back, because it's my family," Guthrie said. "I think it's part of my purpose right now. I want to smile and when I do, it will be real and my joy will be my protest. My joy will b...