Did Hoda Kotb Use Nancy Guthrie? Megyn Kelly Accuses TV Host Of 'Acting' In Savannah Guthrie Interview

Hoda Kotb's emotional interview with Savannah Guthrie about the disappearance of Guthrie's mother, Nancy Guthrie, has come under sharp criticism from broadcaster Megyn Kelly, who accused the Today host of 'acting' and failing to ask basic questions in what was billed as Guthrie's first major sit‑down since Nancy went missing in February.

The news came after Guthrie, a long-time Today anchor, sat down with her co-host and close friend Kotb in a multi-part interview aired this week on NBC. In it, Guthrie spoke publicly about the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of 76-year-old Nancy Guthrie, how she and her family are coping and when she may return to full-time work. Nancy was reported missing by relatives on 1 February and, eight weeks on, authorities say they still have no suspects or persons of interest.

On Thursday 26 March, Kelly used her SiriusXM programme The Megyn Kelly Show to dismantle both NBC's handling of the interview and Kotb's role in it. Kelly, 55, told listeners she believed Kotb 'fell down on the job' and should never have been put in the interviewer's chair for such a sensitive and high-stakes conversation.

'With respect, I have to say I think Hoda Kotb fell down on the job, and I don't think she was the woman for the interview,' Kelly said, referring to the pre-recorded conversation that aired on Today. She framed the choice as less about journalism and more about branding, claiming NBC had an agenda in putting its two morning stars together on screen.

Megyn Kelly Questions NBC's Use Of Nancy Guthrie Case

For context, the Nancy Guthrie case has become a deeply personal and public crisis for Savannah Guthrie. Nancy was reported missing on 1 February, triggering an FBI-supported search that has stretched into its eighth week. Guthrie has continued to appear on Today while fielding questions about her mother's whereabouts, releasing a detailed description of Nancy and a reward offer of up to $1 million for information that leads to her recovery.

Kelly argued NBC tried to turn that ordeal into a showcase of on-air camaraderie. She suggested the network used Kotb, 61, less as an interviewer and more as a 'promotional vehicle' to project the image of a close-knit, empathetic morning family.

'NBC had an agenda here, which was to show you: One big happy family. Look how empathetic she is,' Kelly said. In her view, that editorial decision skewed the tone away from scrutiny and towards sentiment. 'This interview was not about Hoda. It was about Savannah,' she added.

A particular sticking point for Kelly was the audio production. She claimed NBC deliberately kept Kotb's microphone turned up so viewers could hear every sigh, murmur and sympathetic noise as Guthrie spoke about Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.

According to Kelly, those choices were not simply stylistic quirks but fundamental flaws. She described Kotb's audible reactions as 'a major distraction and very odd in its choice' for an interview of this magnitude, arguing that standard practice would have been to lower Kotb's mic during Guthrie's more detailed answers.

'This Was Acting': Kelly Slams Hoda Kotb Over Nancy Guthrie Interview

Kelly's criticism went beyond the technical set-up and into Kotb's on-screen demeanour. She accused the Today star of overplaying the emotion, including what Kelly characterised as performative gestures.

Blasting Kotb for 'wiping away tears that weren't there,' Kelly told her audience: 'This was acting on Hoda Kotb's part, and it was a distraction and an unnecessary one.' In Kelly's assessment, that performance undercut the seriousness of a case in which Nancy Guthrie remains missing and no clear answers have emerged.

Her 'real complaint,' as she put it, was more basic. Kelly argued that Kotb failed at the core task of any interviewer: pressing for clarity when something does not quite add up.

'Therefore, it was not journalistically sound,' Kelly said. 'She did not ask very basic questions like, 'What do you mean [the door was] propped open?'' Kelly did not expand on that reference, but made clear she believed follow-up questions were missing at several key junctures.

There has been no formal response from NBC or from Kotb to Kelly's comments, and Today has continued to air updates and appeals around the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie. Nothing in Kelly's account has been independently corroborated beyond the broadcast of Kotb and Guthrie's interview itself, so her claims about NBC's motives and production choices should be taken with a grain of salt.

Away from the media row, the facts of the Nancy Guthrie case remain grimly straightforward. Nancy is described by authorities as 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing around 150 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. Despite weeks of searching, her location is unknown.

Guthrie told Kotb during the interview that she and her family are offering a reward of up to $1 million for information leading to Nancy's recovery, saying she hopes and prays someone will come forward. That reward has become the focal point of the family's public appeal, an attempt to jolt loose any detail that may have gone unreported.