NBC has greenlit a Wordle game show hosted by Today anchor Savannah Guthrie.
The network announced plans to tap into The New York Times’ word-guessing game phenomenon, with plans to premiere the show in 2027, today. It will be produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio with late-night TV host Jimmy Fallon via his Electric Hot Dog company.
“I feel very honored to be working with Savannah Guthrie on this show,” Fallon said in a statement. “Savannah has that rare combination of intelligence, charm, and warmth that makes everyone feel instantly welcome. And she obviously knows how to host a show. I am SUPER PROUD and HAPPY and I think we developed a SOLID GAMER for PRIME-time.”
NBC called Guthrie an avid Wordle fan in its announcement, saying that she’ll help translate the game to TV screens next year. The format change will supersize the classic game’s formula by asking players to solve five-letter word puzzles in a battle of “smarts, speed, and fun.” The network added that players will team up in the Wordle arena to compete for “an incredible cash prize.”
The Wordle game show was previously reported to be in development by Fallon late last year. Today’s news gives it the green light to move forward at NBC while securing Guthrie as its host. The Today anchor has been with the show for nearly 15 years. In February of this year, she stepped away from the show amid the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, who remains missing. Guthrie returned to Today April 6.
During a Today broadcast this morning, Fallon announced that he has been working with The New York Times to bring the Wordle game show to life for the last two and a half years. Guthrie added that she has been involved with the project “for a really long time,” too.
“We just found out in February that we got picked up, and we were supposed to shoot in March,” she said. “I just want to say a quick thank you to NBC, and to Jimmy and his production company, and The New York Times, and the studio, Universal. When everything happened with me and my family, they just stopped everything and said, ‘We’ll wait for you.’
“And Hollywood is a really tough business, as you know, and I just didn’t expect that, and I just want to say, thank you. It means so much to me.”
Production on the World show is expected to begin later this year. Those interested in applying for its cast can head to wordle.castingcrane.com.
Wordle is so popular that even Pope Leo XIV finds time to play. For more, you can check out an archive of all previously used words in Wordle.
Photo by NDZ/Star Max/GC Images.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
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