Behind-The-Scenes Drama Reportedly Ignites After Savannah Guthrie's Today Show Interview

After Savannah Guthrie's mother, Nancy, was abducted from her home almost two months ago, the reporter stepped away from her duties on NBC's "Today" show. Now, as she prepares to return to work while her mother is still missing, Guthrie sat with Hoda Kotb for a three-part interview discussing the turmoil she and her family have been going through. The discussion is powerful and emotional, with a short preview of the interview being enough to bring the "Today" anchors to tears. But insiders say that, while the Guthrie family has been dealing with the unimaginable, behind the scenes drama was  taking place on the NBC morning show.

The Daily Mail spoke to insiders who say that "Today" co-anchor Craig Melvin is livid that the network chose Kotb, who has been filling in for Guthrie, to conduct the interview instead of him. Melvin, who took over Kotb's spot on "Today" when she initially retired in January 2025, believed that he was the obvious choice to sit with Guthrie, and that the choice to have Kotb do it instead has damaged his confidence. Melvin apparently felt that if he had been given the interview, it would prove that he had the support of the show's executives, but now he isn't sure if his job is secure.

While Savannah Guthrie has been dealing with her mother's disappearance, the other anchors on "Today" have had their own dramas to deal with. But tensions have apparently risen since Hoda Kotb returned. According to the Globe, Kotb is reportedly hoping to turn her fill-in spot into a permanent return to the show, which has the other hosts, especially Craig Melvin, nervous. Meanwhile, as Guthrie made a brief return to "Today" at the start of March to update her colleagues and viewers on the investigation, the Daily Mail reported that tensions were at an all-time high on the set, and that some people would be happy if Guthrie never returned to the show. 

The paper's sources say that the staff of "Today" felt some relief while Guthrie and her strict leadership style were away. Kotb, apparently, is more laid back, which makes the lives of everyone working off camera a little easier. Meanwhile, the on-air talent has seen Guthrie's hiatus as a chance to get more time on-camera. One insider compared the actions of the anchors to Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston's fictionalized series "The Morning Show," saying, "These people will steal your chair while you're still sitting in it." A meeting between NBC executives and "Today" staff didn't help ease tensions, as the network told production that Guthrie would be returning full-time. Following the airing of the third part of Guthrie's interview with Kotb, NBC announced that Guthrie would be back in the anchor seat on April 6.