Savannah Guthrie’s Today show colleagues forced into humiliating apology for cruel ‘b****ing’ behind her back amid Nancy abduction
Today show staff have been wracked with guilt for throwing host Savannah Guthrie under the bus while she was off-air having vocal cord surgery just weeks before her mother’s kidnapping, the Daily Mail can reveal.
The NBC star had reportedly been anxious to return to work after ratings went up during her absence, but has since dropped everything to support her family following Nancy Guthrie’s shock disappearance this weekend.
Savannah’s colleagues have been among the first to lead an outpouring of support, as police in Tucson, Arizona, doggedly search for proof that her 84-year-old mother is still alive.
But just weeks ago, NBC insiders had been singing a very different tune.
‘Without Savannah [on air], the vibe shifted immediately. It stopped feeling like a classroom and started feeling like a group of equals,’ a source told the Daily Mail last month. ‘She naturally takes charge, but when she’s gone, everyone else finally breathes. It feels more collaborative, more relaxed. The show feels warmer.’
Now, it is understood that those who were quick to criticize Savannah, 54, behind the scenes have now been left guilt-ridden by their comments.
‘A tragic situation like this is a wakeup call,’ one insider told the Daily Mail.
‘It makes you see someone in a totally different light – not the hard-driving ambitious TV star but a vulnerable frightened woman who is in the middle of a nightmare.
‘We are all hurting for Savannah. We know how much she adores her mother, you could see how genuine her devotion is when she brought Nancy to the show.’
Guthrie returned to air less than a week before her mother Nancy was snatched from her bed on Saturday night.
Today show staff who were quick to criticize Savannah Guthrie behind the scenes during her medical leave in December have now told the Daily Mail they’re racked with guilt by their comments in the wake of her mother’s kidnapping
Savannah’s mother Nancy Guthrie, 84, was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona overnight Saturday/Sunday. Now cops are searching for proof that she is still alive on the fifth day of their search
Today show sources told the Daily Mail that the heartbreaking video recorded by Savannah and her siblings, Annie and Camron, begging for the kidnappers to return their mother ,struck them hard in the wake of their previous comments
Sources also say Savannah’s deep love for her mother was obvious when she brought Nancy to the show
Savannah’s co-star Craig Melvin confirmed Thursday that he has stepped back from presenting duties at the Winter Olympics in Milan as the search for Nancy continues
‘When all is said and done, she’s a good person and you can see how devastated she is.
‘That video was just heartbreaking.’
Savannah and her Today co-star Craig Melvin, 46, have both now pulled out of presenting duties in Milan for the Winter Olympics as the hunt for Nancy continues.
On Thursday morning, Melvin was visibly emotional on air.
‘Most days, of course, Savannah greets you right here from this desk, but this morning, our dear friend has a very different message,’ he said before playing her video plea to Nancy’s abductors in its entirety.
Melvin is not the only star to send Savannah support publicly. Carson Daly has said he is ‘praying intensely’.
And support has extended beyond NBC, with fellow journalists such as Gayle King becoming visibly emotional while discussing the case on air, saying: ‘Your heart can’t help but break.’
NBC has also publicly backed Savannah as she steps away from her duties to focus on her family, reflecting the widespread solidarity shown by her peers during the crisis.
Savannah used the Instagram video to directly address her mother’s possible captors, in the first public admission that she may be being held for ransom.
‘We too have heard the reports about a ransom letter in the media,’ she said. ‘As a family, we are doing everything that we can.’
Nancy Guthrie disappeared from the house where she has lived for more than 50 years,with cops saying she was abducted
Guthrie said to her mothers abductors: ‘We are ready to talk,’ but said the family wanted proof that they weren’t potentially using fraudulent images of her.
‘We live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated,’ she continued. ‘We need to know, without a doubt, that she is alive and that you have her.
‘We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please, reach out to us.’
Directly addressing her mother, Guthrie said: ‘Mommy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God’s precious daughter, Nancy.
‘We believe and know that even in this valley, he is with you. Everyone is looking for you, mommy, everywhere. We will not rest; your children will not rest until we are together again.’
Nancy vanished after she was dropped off at her sprawling property in Tucson, Arizona, shortly before 10 pm on Saturday evening. Originally cops had said her son-in-law Tommaso Cioni, 50, had driven her home, but are now just saying it was a family member
No suspect has been identified, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos reiterated at a Thursday press conference, while police insist there is no danger to the wider public.
Investigators have not ruled out that Nancy may have been targeted precisely because she is the mother of the famous Today show host.
