Who is Marie Carillo? Meet NBC’s Savannah Guthrie Replacement as Host of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony originally appeared on Sports news. Add The Sporting News as Favorite source by clicking here.
NBC will be without “Today Show” host and lead Winter Olympics commentator Savannah Guthrie. Guthrie is in Arizona with his family, as investigators continue to search for Guthrie’s 84-year-old mother, Nancy, who has been missing since Sunday, February 1.
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In his place, NBC is turning to longtime Olympic reporter Mary Carillo, who will replace Guthrie for the Milan Cortina games. Here’s everything you need to know about Carillo, his sports broadcasting career and more.
MORE: Updates on the investigation into Savannah Guthrie’s missing mother
Who is Marie Carillo?
Mary Carillo is a longtime sports journalist, who began her career covering professional tennis in 1980. Carillo was born and raised in New York and was a former singles and doubles tennis player herself, turning professional in 1977 when she was just 20 years old.
After spending four years on the WTA Tour, she retired from tennis due to several knee injuries she suffered throughout her career. In 1980, she joined USA Network as a tennis commentator from 1980 to 1987. She worked for other networks such as PBS and Madison Square Garden Network.
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She had two stints at ESPN, working for the network from 1988 to 1997 and from 2003 to 2010. She also competed in several Grand Slam tennis tournaments for CBS for the US Open, as well as Wimbledon for HBO and Turner Sports in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
She has been an analyst for NBC’s coverage of the French Open since 1996 and began covering the Olympics for the network during the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Her 2026 Winter Games in Italy will mark her 17th Olympic Games that she has covered during her extensive career.
Carillo also contributed to HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel,” winning a Sports Emmy for his feature The Hoyt Family, and covered the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
Tennis career of Mary Carillo
Carillo played professionally from 1977 to 1980. Playing alongside John McEnroe, Carillo won the mixed doubles title at the 1977 French Open. She reached the quarterfinals of the US Open in doubles in 1977 and reached the quarterfinals in mixed doubles at Wimbledon that same season.
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Her highest WTA ranking was 33rd overall from January to March 1980. She retired from professional tennis in 1980.
What happened to Savannah Guthrie?
Guthrie was scheduled to be the lead commentator for Friday afternoon’s opening ceremony, but she remains in Arizona with her family. Savannah has been absent from the “Today Show” since Monday. February 2.
On February 3, NBC Sports confirmed that Guthrie would not join the network’s Olympic coverage “as she is focused on being with her family during this difficult time.” by Brian Stelter.
Wednesday, February 4, Molly Shannon, President and Executive Producer of NBC Olympics Production released an official statement regarding Guthrie’s absence, adding that the network has his entire sport:
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“Our hearts go out to Savannah and the entire Guthrie family. They continue to have our full support,” Molly Solomon said in the statement. “We are fortunate to have a well-rounded group of talented commentators who will step in and fill these roles. Mary (Carillo) is one of the most experienced Olympic commentators of all time and a master of storytelling. She and Terry will guide the American public through one of the world’s biggest global moments.”
How many Olympics has Mary Carillo covered?
Carillo covered 17 Olympic Games during his career, both summer and winter. Her first Olympics that she covered was the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Georgia, helping with tennis coverage. During the 2004 Summer Games in Sydney, Carillo went viral for her four-minute badminton speech:
