Over a month and a half into the Nancy Guthrie investigation, there are a lot of different storylines people are following about the abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s mom. And one of them has to do with whether Savannah Guthrie will return to the Today show. She has been absent from her job since February 2, a day after her mother was reported missing.
While Guthrie was out, Hoda Kotb stepped in to take her place. And now, some people are pointing to one of Kotb’s decisions with some concern. Kotb just wrapped her first-ever Joy 101 Spring Retreat, which was held March 13–15 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The retreat is a wellness weekend designed to inspire and recharge.
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According to Rob Shuter, the locating and timing is raising some eyebrows. “It feels tone-deaf,” one insider said. “Arizona is where all of this is happening — and she’s hosting a wellness retreat there.”
People on the Today show, in particular, seem sensitive to the optics. “Everyone is being incredibly sensitive to what Savannah is going through,” a source explained. “That’s why this stands out.”
No one’s saying there are personal problems between the two; people just don’t like how it looks. “You don’t host an expensive retreat in the middle of a crisis — in the same state,” the source added. “It just doesn’t land well.”
Of course, a retreat like this was planned way in advance, so it’s not like Kotb had much of a choice. “People understand commitments,” another insider said. “But this one feels like it should have been reconsidered.”
“In this business, optics are everything,” one staffer from the show said. “And this isn’t a great look.”
All of this comes after a source told Radar Online that Savannah Guthrie is thinking really hard about her next steps, and what her public life might have cost her mom. “Savannah is devastated – and fearing the worst. She’s trying to be strong, but this has shattered her,” the insider said.
“She’s questioning everything – her career, her public life and whether staying in the spotlight is worth the risk to her family’s safety.” The source added, “Her only focus is protecting her family. Returning to Today is absolutely the last thing on her mind.”
Guthrie is now back in New York and visited the Today show set, where she spoke to the staff. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Guthrie said, “I wanted you to know that I’m still standing, and I still have hope and I’m still me. I don’t know what version of me that will be, but it will be.” She also reportedly said, “I have every intention of coming back. I don’t know how to come back, but I don’t know how not to. You’re my family and I would like to try.”
The reward for information about Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance is up to $1 million. To this date, police have released surveillance photos and videos of a suspect, but have not identified anyone or have disclosed a motive.
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