“It was a sad day,” behind the scenes of the “Today” show on Tuesday, as Savannah Guthrie broke down in tears while discussing the ransom note her family received in February allegedly claiming her missing mom, Nancy Guthrie, had died.
“A lot of people at ‘Today’ are affected by it,” says a source. “There was a sense of sadness today. Everybody just feels so bad for her. There is a lot of uncertainty.”
We’re told Guthrie has been surrounded by support as she continues to navigate the unimaginable ordeal.
“There is a lot of admiration and praise for her that she is still able to do her job,” says our source. “People really support her and care about her, and people are heartbroken.”
During the show, Guthrie said she had “no comment” on the headlines and is “not involved in … coverage” of her mother’s abduction, but that she couldn’t “pretend” to not be present for the conversation.
“I just wanted to take the opportunity to really ask people and really beg people to come forward because somebody knows something,” Guthrie continued.
“This is a news story today that is on your radar, but this is the life my sister, [Annie Guthrie], lives, that I live, that my brother, [Camron Guthrie], lives, that our extended families live, that our children live every day,” she explained.
“We cannot be at peace,” the journalist said. “No matter how much I try to come out here every day and smile and find that joy — and I will, I promise I will — this is a moment to say we need your help. … I’m not gonna miss that opportunity.”
Guthrie ended her emotional plea with a promise: “We love our mom, and we’ll never stop looking for her. Ever.”
Gurthrie was surround by colleagues Craig Melvin, Al Roker, Carson Daly and Jenna Bush Hager.
“The bravery and courage with which you have done this job every day since that happened is nothing short of remarkable,” Melvin said.
Savannah took a brief hiatus from the show after her mother went missing from her Arizona home on Feb. 1. She returned in April.
Sources close to the investigation told Air Mail over the weekend that a ransom note, believed to be credible, referred to the 84-year-old as “safe but scared” hours after her disappearance — and demanded $6 million in Bitcoin.
The second, which came from the same IP address days later, indicated that Nancy had passed.
Savannah told Hoda Kotb in March that she “tend[s] to believe” the two notes that she and her siblings “responded to” in emotional social media pleas were, in fact, “real.”
There have been no arrests. Police did detain Derrick Callella for allegedly attempting to extort with fake ransom texts. The 42-year-old faces federal charges.