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Nancy Guthrie case: ‘Today’ show's plan revealed in case major update arrives with Savannah on air, ‘We would pull…’

Amid the search for Nancy Guthrie, NBC reportedly has a plan in place for Savannah Guthrie if news breaks live about her mother while she is on air.

Published on: Apr 12, 2026 1:33 PM IST
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Amid the search for Nancy Guthrie, NBC reportedly has a plan in place for her daughter, Savannah Guthrie, in the event that news breaks live about her mother while she is on air. This includes a three-word phrase.

What ‘Today’ plans to do if major Nancy Guthrie news comes with Savannah on air (NBC/Today via AP) (AP)
What ‘Today’ plans to do if major Nancy Guthrie news comes with Savannah on air (NBC/Today via AP) (AP)

An insider at ‘Today’ told the Daily Mail that if a a major development in the case comes up while Savannah is on air, a producer would tell the host that she’s “needed off set”. This is a code word Savannah is reportedly well aware of.

“We would pull her immediately, mid-segment if we had to,” the insider told the outlet. “She knows if one of the producers tells her she’s ‘needed off set’ that there’s a development.”

The insider added, “She would understand that there was news about her mom and we’d take her into an office and tell her, at the same time that another anchor would report it as a breaking story.”

The insider also stressed that the news show would “never in a million years” have Savannah report on any news of her mother’s disappearance unless she specifically wanted to.

“Savannah understands that she has a public who is very invested in Nancy’s story, and understands that we wouldn’t necessarily wait for her to find out before reporting it,” the source said.

How Savannah Guthrie’s return to the ‘Today’ show could affect Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers

A former FBI agent recently revealed why Savannah returning to the ‘Today’ show could be something Nancy’s kidnapper may not like. The “walls are closing in” on the abductor after Savannah’s return to the show as her “national platform” will help keep all eyes on the case, Jason Pack told Page Six.

Read More | What makes Nancy Guthrie's disappearance unusual? Explaining how the case differs from other missing person cases

“Every day that passes the pressure builds. Keeping a secret like this is exhausting. … and that gets harder with every morning that Savannah Guthrie sits behind that anchor desk,” he said.

“Most criminals in cases like this count on the media moving on,” Pack added. “They count on the family fading from public view. They count on people forgetting. This case is different. Savannah has a national platform and she shows up on it every single day. Every time a viewer sees her face, they think about her mother.”

Read More | Savannah Guthrie delivers emotional Easter message amid search for mom Nancy, ‘Cruel injury of not knowing…’ | Video

Pack said that the more attention the case gets, the more “pressure on the people responsible goes up.”

“Add a reward of more than one million dollars and the full weight of FBI resources and you have a situation where the walls are not just closing, but they are closing from every direction at once,” he said.

  • Sumanti Sen
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Sumanti Sen

    Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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