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Hoda Kotb is coming under fire for recently hosting a wellness retreat in Arizona, the same state where her good friend and former colleague Savannah Guthrie’s mom. Nancy Guthrie, was kidnapped.
According to columnist Rob Shuter’s Naughty But Nice Substack, Kotb comes off as insensitive.
“It feels tone-deaf,” one insider told Shuter on Thursday, March 19. “Arizona is where all of this is happening — and she’s hosting a wellness retreat there.”
“Everyone is being incredibly sensitive to what Savannah is going through,” another source explained. “That’s why this stands out.”
“You don’t host an expensive retreat in the middle of a crisis — in the same state,” the source added. “It just doesn’t land well.”
Kotb is the founder of Joy 101, a wellness brand and app. According to its website, the Joy 101 retreat, held March 13-15 in Scottsdale, Arizona, offered a “curated roster of world-class wellness experts, and research-backed practices designed to create a noticeable shift in your mood, energy and daily life.”
“Put down the heavy backpack you’ve been carrying and let us take care of you. You’ll be inspired, restored, and I bet you’ll float home when it’s over,” Kotb, 61, said of the retreat.
Instagram/savannahguthrie; X / @FBIDirectorKash
Shuter’s Substack notes that the retreat was planned in advance of 84-year-old Nancy’s disappearance.
“People understand commitments,” another insider told the columnist. “But this one feels like it should have been reconsidered.”
“In this business, optics are everything,” one staffer added. “And this isn’t a great look.”
As In Touch readers know, Nancy was reported missing by her family on February 1 after she failed to show up to a friend’s house to watch a streaming church service. Since then, TODAY host Savannah has made multiple pleas on social media to the suspect to return her mother safely. The family also offered a $1 million dollar reward.
People with any information regarding the case are asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). You may also contact your local FBI office, the nearest American Embassy or Consulate, or you can submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
