In a scathing rebuke, former NBC host Megyn Kelly has slammed the "Today" show for an Instagram post that she deemed insensitive and tone-deaf amid the ongoing search for co-host Savannah Guthrie's missing mother, Nancy Guthrie.
The controversial post, shared on the official "Today with Jenna & Sheinelle" Instagram account, featured a heartwarming moment between co-host Sheinelle Jones and actress Adrienne Bailon-Houghton's mother. The caption read, "Nothing beats a mom hug." While the sentiment was well-intentioned, Kelly argued that the timing was utterly inappropriate given the distressing circumstances surrounding Savannah Guthrie's family.
A Callous Oversight or Intentional Insensitivity?
In a scathing blog post, Kelly did not mince words, questioning whether the post was a "despicable gaffe or an intentional move." She wrote, "She is suffering quite clearly, and this is what her colleagues do? 'Nothing beats a mom hug.'" The former Fox News anchor, who has been openly critical of the "Today" show in the past, admitted that she may be "biased" against the program, but she nevertheless condemned the network's apparent lack of empathy.
As Reuters reports, Nancy Guthrie, Savannah's 84-year-old mother, went missing from her Arizona home on February 1st, and the FBI has been working tirelessly to locate her. The disappearance has understandably taken an immense emotional toll on Guthrie and her family, making the "Today" show's Instagram post all the more jarring and insensitive.
What this really means is that the "Today" show's leadership failed to exercise the basic empathy and consideration that one would expect from a respected news organization. In a time of unimaginable anguish for Savannah Guthrie and her loved ones, the program's decision to highlight a joyful "mom hug" moment is, at best, a callous oversight and, at worst, a deliberate act of insensitivity.
A Troubling Trend of Tone-Deaf Decisions
This is not the first time the "Today" show has faced criticism for its perceived lack of sensitivity. As BBC News reports, the program has a history of making tone-deaf decisions, such as the controversial decision to air an interview with a convicted sex offender in 2021. The latest Instagram post only serves to further undermine the show's credibility and reputation as a trusted news source.
The bigger picture here is that the "Today" show's leadership needs to undertake a serious self-examination and implement more rigorous safeguards to ensure that such insensitive missteps do not occur, especially during times of personal crisis for its own staff members. Savannah Guthrie and her family deserve the utmost compassion and support from their colleagues, not a thoughtless and ill-timed social media post.