NBC “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie left mid-broadcast on Monday, when the show suddenly cut to a commercial break, multiple news outlets report.
When the show resumed, Ms. Guthrie was gone, but co-host Hoda Kotb stepped in to resume an interview with actress Anne Hathaway without any on-air explanation for the sudden switch.
The exit fueled speculation that it was connected to the disappearance of Ms. Guthrie’s mother, 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie.
According to reports, NBC insiders use a discreet code phrase “needed off set” to alert Ms. Guthrie of any significant developments in her mother’s kidnapping case without causing disruption on air.
Several observers said this system triggered her sudden departure on Monday.
Nancy Guthrie has been missing since Feb. 1 after she was apparently abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Authorities say she was the victim of a targeted kidnapping after surveillance footage showed a masked individual tampering with her doorbell camera.
Savannah Guthrie had taken a two-month leave of absence from “Today” following her mother’s disappearance and returned to the show last Monday.
• Juliet La Sala can be reached at jlasala@washingtontimes.com.
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