Savannah Guthrie Returns to TODAY as Mystery Around Her Mother Deepens | Nancy Guthrie Missing

Summary

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Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield

Episode: Savannah Guthrie Returns to TODAY as Mystery Around Her Mother Deepens | Nancy Guthrie Missing

Release Date: April 6, 2026

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Overview

In this special early episode of Drop Dead Serious, Ashleigh Banfield dissects Savannah Guthrie’s highly anticipated return to NBC’s Today following her mother Nancy Guthrie’s ongoing missing persons case, now in its 65th day. The episode weaves together observations from Savannah's first day back, the emotional challenges she faced, and the meticulous decisions made by the show's production team. Banfield is joined by long-time friend and former Today show producer Brian Baltazar, who brings insider knowledge about broadcast protocols, behind-the-scenes dynamics, and the emotional pulse of NBC staff during such a sensitive period.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Significance of Savannah’s Return

• Banfield frames Savannah’s return as “huge for a lot of reasons”—she explores not only the emotional difficulty for Savannah but also its implications for the Today team and national audience.
• Savannah’s resilience is repeatedly highlighted against the backdrop of public scrutiny and personal grief.

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Breakdown of Savannah Guthrie’s First Day Back

(Timestamps refer to podcast episode timing, not original broadcast)

Professionalism Amid Tragedy

• Savannah did not receive any special easing-in; she was fully present throughout the live show, handling normal duties despite “the pressure of everything that Savannah's been under and the emotional strain that she is still under and the grieving.”
  • [00:30] Ashleigh Banfield: "She did absolutely everything that she does normally."
• Special touches—Savannah in a yellow dress, yellow flowers throughout the studio, Craig Melvin in a yellow tie—acknowledged the ongoing tragedy (yellow being symbolic for “hope and return home”).

Opening Moments: Subtle Acknowledgements

• The show opened “in a standard way,” with regular headlines and flow.
  • [05:10] Savannah Guthrie: “It is good to be home.”
  • [05:18] Craig Melvin: “Yes, it is good to have you back at home.”

Emotional Interviews

• Savannah co-conducted a demanding interview with military analyst Steve Warren about a dramatic airman rescue, drawing an unstated parallel to her own family’s ordeal.
  • [06:40] Savannah Guthrie: “…This was an incredibly complicated and courageous effort… speaks to the best of American values. Leaving nobody behind.”

Plaza Dynamics and Security

• Banfield noticed the “sole NYPD cop” in view during early segments—a subtle nod to increased security or at least awareness of the gravity of Savannah’s presence and story.

Light-hearted Moments

• Savannah’s first banter: joking about college basketball results.
  • [08:17] Savannah Guthrie: “Earmuffs, Craig. UCLA just crushed South Carolina…”
• Sweet exchanges with Al Roker.
  • [09:03] Savannah Guthrie: “Good morning, sunshine.”
• Jenna Bush’s on-air support:
  • [12:46] Jenna Bush, via Savannah Guthrie relay: “We don’t even need a boost because we have the sun to shine back…”

Dealing with the Crowd

• Savannah’s first appearance back on the plaza after commercial break. Crowds held signs—some with her and her missing mother—prompting an emotional reaction.
  • [19:25] Craig Melvin: “We’re welcoming back our north Star SG. Come on out here.”
  • [19:40] Savannah Guthrie (teary): “You guys have been so beautiful. I received so many letters. So much kindness to me and my whole family… We feel your prayers. So thank you so much.”

Navigating Difficult Content

• Craig Melvin, not Savannah, handled two particularly emotional interviews (with Terry Crews and wife Rebecca discussing Parkinson’s; with Keanu Reeves), possibly to protect Savannah from emotional strain or unpredictable turns.

Maintaining Normalcy and Professionalism

• Aside from subtle tributes and moments of support, the show’s structure and content remained largely unchanged, a possible deliberate choice for both viewer comfort and Savannah’s sense of normalcy.

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Brian Baltazar Interview: Insider Perspective

(Begins at ~[24:24])

Production Decisions & Sensitivity

• Insights into the detailed planning and consideration for Savannah’s comfort with each segment, set element (like yellow flowers), and who conducted interviews.
  • [25:25] Brian Baltazar: “I was really impressed at her ability to kind of just say, you know, buckle up. Let’s cover the news… I like that they didn’t have her refer to her own story.”
  • [27:07] Brian Baltazar: “They’ve been very considerate and very kind in their approach... I think she probably also had a lot to say about how much she wanted to refer to it…”

Emotional Labor On-Air

• Baltazar emphasizes the difficulty of being “on” under unimaginable personal strain, especially during unscripted moments (like the plaza crowd scene).
  • [28:24] Brian Baltazar: “That 8:30 moment where you’re... just walking out there, being greeted by a wave of love and support... [That’s] where you really see how strong her resolve is.”

Signage & Security Protocol

• The display of signs (including those with Nancy Guthrie’s face) was discussed, with producers balancing sensitivity, security, and authenticity.
  • [36:12] Brian Baltazar: “My biggest concern would be the unpredictability of the plaza... I would be really, really mindful of not overwhelming anyone.”

Team Dynamics and NBC Staff Reaction

• A genuine culture of “Today Show family” support for Savannah, with special precautions to both protect the investigation and her personal wellbeing.
  • [39:30] Brian Baltazar: “She is a favorite among the producers… There’s a real respect and caution exercised, internally.”

Online Public & Succession Speculation

• Discussion of social media toxicity, support, and rumor-mongering, including speculation on future hosts (Variety noting “there’s no obvious successor to Savannah”).
  • [46:06] Brian Baltazar: “There was a time when no one thought that you could replace Matt Lauer... And... two women took that desk, and it was a very smooth transition.”

Guthrie’s Personal Resilience and Faith

• Banfield and Baltazar discuss Savannah’s raw, honest Easter message and the public’s reaction.
  • [49:21] Brian Baltazar: “She questions whether Jesus really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel… That’s what makes her so relatable… You need the vulnerability.”

Who Writes Savannah’s Words?

• Emphasized that personal messages (like Savannah’s Easter reflection) come directly from her, not from network writers.
  • [51:42] Brian Baltazar: “No one in that building would dare suggest she even tweak a letter of it... She wrote it all herself and then it gets put into a system and she reads it, but she’s reading her own writing.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Savannah’s professionalism,
  • [07:00] Banfield: “Savannah did not break. She did her job as she would have any other day.”
• On emotional support from colleagues,
  • [12:46] Jenna Bush Hager: "We don't even need a boost because we have the sun to shine back."
  • [19:40] Savannah Guthrie: “You guys have been so beautiful. I received so many letters. So much kindness to me and my whole family. We feel your prayers. So thank you so much.”
• On the unique pressures Savannah faces,
  • [49:08] Banfield: “She’s under a microscope. She thinks it’s her fault...The potential for this whole thing could have been because of her fame.”

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Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 00:30 | Ashleigh sets up Savannah's return and Today Show rundown | | 05:03 | Morning greetings – Savannah’s understated “good to be home” | | 06:40 | Savannah’s first emotional interview—airman rescue | | 08:17 | Banter about college basketball (“Earmuffs, Craig”) | | 09:03 | Sweet welcome from Al Roker (“Good morning, sunshine”) | | 11:02 | Plaza crowd welcomes Savannah, emotional signs | | 12:46 | Jenna: “We don't even need a boost…” | | 16:04 | Savannah references missing time with family—"spoiler alert" on The Voice | | 19:25 | Savannah’s official return to the plaza, visibly emotional | | 20:42 | Lighthearted Charlie’s Angels banter | | 22:01 | Light and personal segment on perimenopause | | 24:24 | Brian Baltazar joins for deep behind-the-scenes insights| | 49:21 | Baltazar on Savannah’s Easter message (“She questions…”)|

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Reflections: Production, News Coverage, and What’s Next

Handling Future Developments

• Both Banfield and Baltazar discuss the challenges NBC will face when/if new, significant news about Nancy Guthrie emerges.
  • [55:28] Brian Baltazar: “She’ll probably find out first... they will give her the option of saying, do you want to bow out today?... that is something they’re going to figure out as they go together.”

Moving Forward

• For future shows, the plan (while unwritten) will be to “ease into a bit more of a business as usual situation,” while maintaining flexibility for Savannah’s needs.
• The story may change how Today and other shows treat families in similar situations, as empathy and responsible journalism become even more central in the wake of such highly-publicized, personal tragedies.

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Tone & Final Thoughts

The episode is compassionate, observant, slightly irreverent—true to Banfield’s “off-TV” style. The conversations are warm, occasionally humorous, but always grounded in respect for Savannah Guthrie’s ordeal. Banfield and Baltazar seamlessly blend deep industry insight with human empathy, revealing the emotional calculus behind a historic television morning—and offering support to a journalist confronting public trauma, live and unscripted.

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For listeners who missed the episode, this summary provides a comprehensive guide to the emotional and professional landscape of Savannah Guthrie’s return—and the delicate choreography that made it possible, both on camera and behind the scenes.

Transcript

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With Vrbo's last minute deals, you can save over $50 on your spring getaway. So whether it's a mountain escape city break or a week at the beach, there's still time to get great discounts. Book your next day now. Average savings, $72. Select homes only. Hey everyone, I'm Ashley Banfield. This is drop dead serious and I'm coming to you early today. Normally I drop episodes in the evening, but today I'm doing an early one. It's April 6th, Monday, day 65 in the Nancy Guthrie investigation. It's an important day for Savannah Guthrie. This was her first day back on the Today show. I have a ton for you today about this. It may not seem significant to you. It's actually really huge for a lot of reasons. First of all, I'm gonna show you a whole bunch of clips that I thought were very significant throughout the two hour show that she did today with her colleagues. And then I've got a really special guest who's joining me. Brian Baltazar worked with me at NBC. He was a producer of mine on the shows that I did on msnbc and we've remained friends all these years. He's also been not only a producer on the Today Show, I think for over a decade and he became like that with Kathie Lee Gifford. But he's also been a guest on the Today show a lot. So he's very familiar with the protocol, the traditional, the standard, you know, the format, the everything and all the personalities when it comes to Today show. So he's going to join me with his thoughts about the program today, the significance of it, how hard it is. It's not just showing up on tv, y'. All. It is hard to do one of those shows. You work all the day before. At night you try to get a good sleep. You get up at about, I don't know, a crack of ass, like 3:00 o' clock in the morning, maybe 2:00am if you're a lady, because we got to do the hair and makeup. The boys don't have to do so much, but it is a lot. And then, of course, you throw the pressure of everything that Savannah's been under and the emotional strain that she is still under and the grieving, and then try to put on your happy face and do a show like that. So I want to go over some of the significant parts of the show that I thought really stood out. First and foremost, they opened the show in a standard way. There was nothing different that the Today show producers did to, you know, change anything up. Like, Savannah came in ready to work and do the standard job that she always did. I actually figured they would have her on tape a lot, that they'd help her ease in, slowly back her off, not have to do so much live. Nope. She did absolutely everything that she does normally. There was one interview that Craig Melvin did that I think might have been strategic because it was emotional and it might have been really hard for her. No idea. Could have been Craig. Anyway, on a normal day, had the whole Nancy Guthrie tragedy not befallen Savannah. But they opened the show and Savannah was wearing a yellow dress. There were yellow flowers in the backdrop. And then throughout the show, you notice there are yellow flowers all throughout the studio. I don't think that's an accident. Everybody knows you tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree to signify wanting someone in your life, a loved one, to come home. And there have been yellow flowers all out in front of Nancy Guthrie's home throughout this horrible ordeal. And people on the Today show have been wearing yellow ribbons as well. So yellow is a significant color. Clearly it signifies to everybody, not just Today show watchers or people who've been watching the Nancy Guthrie story, but ever since Tony Orlando and Don sang that song back in the 70s, I remember it well. Ty a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree. It's been three long years. Do you still love me? Anyway, so yellow has come to signify that for everybody. Well, before this story began. And so Savannah was wearing a bright yellow, beautiful dress, and Craig was wearing a yellow tie as well. So they opened the show in a standard way with the regular headlines. News, news, news about Iran, about the Artemis shuttle, about President Trump's profanity laced tweet, everything. And then they came up on the two of them, at which point it was the first acknowledgement that, okay, it is a bit weird and I'm glad to be back. And Craig acknowledged he was glad to have her back. Here's how it looked.

[Brian Baltazar]

This is Today with Savannah Guthrie and

[Craig Melvin]

Craig Melvin from Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Pretty shot of the sun coming up. Good morning. Welcome to Today on this Monday morning. We are so glad you started your week with us. And it is good to be home.

[Craig Melvin]

Yes, it is good to have you back at home.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Well, here we go. Ready or not, let's do the news.

[Craig Melvin]

Yes. So good to have you back. All right. There's a lot happening here on a Monday morning. We're going to begin with those fast moving headlines.

[Ashley Banfield]

So then they went right to the news and they did it the way they normally do, you know, jogging back and forth between Craig does a line and Savannah does a headline, et cetera. And then they came to the first on set interview. Pressures on, stresses on. There's a former career military man sitting on the set live with Craig and Savannah, and they're going to interview him about the missing airman who was rescued in Iran. This is emotional too, right? Because this airman spent a couple of days wedged into a crevice, I think, 7,000ft up a mountain trying to hide from the Iranians after the Iranians shot down his and his fellow pilots fighter craft. And so he was injured, and this was a hell of an ordeal. And it took over 100 military to rescue this missing airman in a black ops operation. And his family would have been in trauma like Savannah. So this is kind of a difficult interview. So the fact that Savannah did the interview with Craig and the airman on set I thought was very significant. Take a look and see how she handled it.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Let's take a deeper dive into that dramatic rescue. And we turn now to retired colonel Steve Warren, an NBC News military analyst, former Pentagon spokesperson. Colonel Warren, good morning. I mean, let's give credit where credit is due. This was an incredibly complicated and courageous effort to retrieve that airman. And we were just talking to really speaks to the best of American values. Leaving nobody behind.

[Ashley Banfield]

So there you go. I mean, Savannah did not break. She did her job as she would have any other day. You wouldn't have noticed a difference. So really, really professional, very strong for her to be able to conduct that very professionally. Get to the news of the matter. And, you know, she was involved in it. She agreed to be involved in that interview. So the next thing I noticed, there's an NYD NYPD policeman in over their shoulder in the plaza behind them. Not weird. Okay. So typically big crowds are at the Today show in the plaza. They're in the window behind. And there is usually some sort of security back there, some Viewers might have thought, oh, look, there's an NYPD cop. Maybe this is unusual. They're nervous about what could happen. There might have been a bit of that. I don't know. But it's also not unusual to have security or NYPD out there in the back. I just thought it was a little strange that he's right there in view, right? And he's the only person in view. There's no crowds. It's just the NYPD cop. So that was in the backdrop. Then they went to March Madness, and Savannah kind of made her first joke and laughed. And it was really sweet because I guess, you know, she had to acknowledge that the UCLA women's basketball team won the championship. And I guess that wasn't Craig's team. So she sort of went, earmuffs, Craig. Here's how it looked.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Switch gears now to the excitement of college basketball. Earmuffs, Craig. UCLA just crushed South Carolina to win the school's very first. It's strong but appropriate.

[Ashley Banfield]

Then the next moment, that was very sweet. And again, everything was very quick, right? They did not dwell. They didn't make it syrupy. They just did it very professionally, acknowledging the elephant in the room, that Savannah's back, but moving on and doing the show professionally, doing the news, doing the segments. And they threw to Al Roker for the normal weather segment where they throw across the studio and he looks back at them. And Al made his first comment towards Savannah. It was very sweet. He said, I just like looking over here. So here's how that transpired.

[Craig Melvin]

Look who's here this morning, Mr. Roker. Well, I just like looking over here.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Good morning, sunshine.

[Craig Melvin]

Good to see you, my dear.

[Ashley Banfield]

All right, so of course, Savannah says good morning, sunshine to him again. A very bright and uplifting moment for her, and I'm sure a joyous moment. Al has been there forever. He's the longest running talent on morning television at this point and certainly on the Today show. And so the next moment, they had wrapped up the first segment of Savannah's Today show return. It was about, you know, 15 or so minutes into the hour. They're gonna throw to break, and then you'll see that, you know, I guess Craig just wanted to acknowledge to Savannah this. You know, you made it. You made it through your first moment back on television. The first live block is over. We're going to commercial break. We can stop down, take a breath. And he gave her, you know, a high five. I thought it was a little bit awkward. It was kind of a high five, was a little Aggressive. Given that, you know, Savannah is, I think, in a bit of a delicate, you know, way. Certainly didn't show that she was in a delicate way. But this is how the high five out to break looked. So now they come back after commercial break. This is how fast the show goes, right? It's already 7:30. The half hour is done. It was just one segment. They go to the locals, they do some segments, some commercials, and then they come back to the to the national Today show team in New York. And at this point, Carson Daly has joined the set. Now, Carson and Sam, Savannah are very good friends off air. In fact, if you think back to the Hoda copy interview with Savannah, she actually mentioned Carson Daly. She mentioned that she had just spent some time over at Carson's with their kids when she actually got the news from her sister Annie that their mom was missing. So it's 7:30. Carson's on the set. Now, Carson actually acknowledges all the folks out on the plaza. Many of them have signs that they've brought. Welcome home, Savannah. One woman actually had Savannah and her mom on a sign. I'm sure that would have been so hard for Savannah to see that. But also heartwarming.

[Craig Melvin]

We are back, back at 7:30. Back with Carson, back with Al, back with that big crowd out on the plaza. A lot of those folks out on the plaza to welcome back our dear friend.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Some beautiful signs out there.

[Craig Melvin]

There's been signs for so long. They're gonna be so excited.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I'm excited to see them. Give them all a hug and really feeling the love so much.

[Craig Melvin]

Welcome back. Good to be back, guys. We got a lot to get to. Starting with a remarkable moment. Nearly 50.

[Ashley Banfield]

Savannah then goes into this interview with everybody about the Artemis mission to the moon. And it's the first time like Savannah really laughs and it's super sweet. Take a look.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah.

[Craig Melvin]

With all the modern technology we have now, it's going to really contribute to what's going to be happening next.

[Savannah Guthrie]

The fact that they can send back images and do interviews. Wi fi must be incredible.

[Craig Melvin]

I sent Victor some email, but I haven't heard back from him yet. He did send a group email with some photos. They're able to. It's great. The toilet may not work, but the 5G is working.

[Ashley Banfield]

Then Jenna Bush joins the set. You know, now there's all six of them up there. And Jenna and Savannah are also very good friends. Have been for a long time. Savannah's acknowledged that many times in her Instagram and on set, et cetera. They spend a lot of time off air together as well. Kids around the same age too, I believe. And Jenna has a segment called Morning Boost. And she says something so sweet to her friend. She says, we don't even need a morning boost because we have our sunshine back. And she reaches across and holds her friend Savannah's hand. She reaches across, Carson. But you know, too bad if it's awkward, I'm gonna get over there and hold your hand. Here's how it looked.

[Savannah Guthrie]

We're back and Jenna is here and we've got a morning boost. We don't even need a boost because we have the sun to shine back. But I'm bringing, bringing you a boost. Let's do it. It's my job.

[Ashley Banfield]

So that was a really sweet, uplifting, light hearted moment. Then it got funny again and Savannah again got into the fun. They did this segment. Boy, I wish I'd known about this. By the way, the segment when I had kids because I could not stop their tantrums and I was looking for every magic bullet I could find. Turns out there's this TikTok sensation out there where if your kid is screaming and yelling, you just pretend there's someone named Jessica where they can't see her and you call for Jessica's help and the kid instantly stops crying. The tantrums completely end. And it's really hilarious. And so they're throwing to it and Savannah's laughing. Take a look.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Carson, do you want to try to have a meltdown and see if Jessica works?

[Ashley Banfield]

Sure, let's do it.

[Brian Baltazar]

All right.

[Craig Melvin]

Well, one day. Don't tempt me with a good time.

[Ashley Banfield]

So now they reopen the 8am hour. So it's kind of a reset. And usually the 8am hour is a little more light hearted. And this is where I was thinking there might be something a bit bigger to welcome Savannah back. No way, man. They are sticking to business and doing the show professionally. And so Craig and Savannah welcome everybody back. And again there's a mention it's good to be back home on the Today show. And you know, Craig says good to have you back. And they mentioned the we love you Savannah signs out in the crowd, which is very sweet. It's the window backdrop now for the 8am hour and you're starting to see the people and their signs in the backdrop. You didn't see that in the 7am hour. Then they do their regular news headlines and they throw to the interview. I mentioned this off the top of this podcast that Terry Crews, who is the America, America's Got Talent talent It's hard to say. He joined the Today show with his wife Rebecca to make an announcement. I did not know this. Maybe everybody else didn't. I'm the last to know. But Rebecca Cruz has Parkinson's and has been living with Parkinson's, very serious Parkinson's, and has undergone a very new, cutting edge treatment. I think it's a non invasive focused brain ultrasound. And so they sat on the couch and they did the interview with Craig. This is an emotional interview. This is Terry Crews with his wife, who has been suffering immensely and went through this really, you know, risky procedure to try to get her Parkinson's. Parkinson's under control. And this interview went to Craig. It might have anyway, but I just thought, if given the choice, would have Savannah said, you know, this is very emotional. I'm in an emotional state right now. I think maybe I better not do this interview. Who knows why they made the decision. The decision is made. Like I said, could have been in any other day. That was normal. Craig would have done the interview. But I just. I just noticed it that right away, this was a moment that would have been a little tough for Savannah to conduct. Then after the Terry Crews and his wife Rebecca interview, they have the first moment where all six are on the couch. It goes from the anchor set now over to the couch. All six of them are there. And Savannah makes an acknowledgement about having kind of been out of the game, you know, for a couple of months. They're talking about the Voice and she says, spoiler alert. I haven't caught up my family and I haven't caught up on. On the episodes yet.

[Savannah Guthrie]

My kids and I watch the Voice all the time. Spoiler alert. Though we. Because we're not fully caught up yet. But it is the best you to watch with your kids.

[Craig Melvin]

It is one of the few family friendly shows. We take great pride in that.

[Savannah Guthrie]

It's really fun.

[Craig Melvin]

That's why you're like season 43.

[Brian Baltazar]

That's exactly right.

[Craig Melvin]

That's right. Keep them coming, Craig. Keep them coming.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Just ahead, guys, we have a Hollywood legend in our studio. Keanu Reeves is here.

[Ashley Banfield]

Okay, now it is the bottom of the hour, 8:30. This is when they move the whole thing outside every day and they're in the plaza with all the fans. I figured this was gonna be the most emotional time for Savannah because there's everybody

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[Ashley Banfield]

You know, people who have this outpouring of love and support and emotion for Savannah. They brought their signs. Welcome back. There's again, that sign with Savannah and her mom Nancy on it, which Savannah's gonna see when she comes out in the plaza. She probably has already seen it. They did do something different here. They had the other anchors out in the plaza. They welcomed everybody Back to the 8:30, you know, bottom of the hour at the Today show. And then they said, and, you know, here's Savannah. Come on out, SG I think Alvaro Chris said, come on out, SG and this is the moment where Savannah actually walks out. Normally she'd be there. You'd open the cameras up at 8:30 and she'd be there. But this was kind of like a grand entrance or exit, so to speak. And Savannah is in her coat and she's in very, very high heels. And Jenna is holding on to her arm now. I thought, well, you don't need to hold onto her arm. She's fine. But she was wearing very high heels, so I thought maybe that was why. But it looked like a show of support to hold Savannah as they walked out together to the plaza. This is what it looked like.

[Craig Melvin]

We're welcoming back our north Star SG Come on out here.

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[Savannah Guthrie]

Hi, guys. Good morning. Good morning.

[Craig Melvin]

They've been waiting.

[Savannah Guthrie]

These signs are so beautiful. You guys have been so beautiful. I received so many letters. So much kindness to me and my whole family. We feel it. We feel your prayers. So thank you so much.

[Craig Melvin]

It's not just today. They've been out here every day. Every day.

[Savannah Guthrie]

This is such a nice pocket square. I don't want to slobber on it. I know. I'm sorry.

[Craig Melvin]

How little is a million of them Star studded?

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Morning.

[Ashley Banfield]

Then they come back and Savannah has another really cute chuckle about this segment they're going to do on the 50th anniversary of the Charlie's Angels show. Here's what it looked like.

[Craig Melvin]

The superstar, my 15 year old self got very, very excited on the inside. It started to move around when I saw that I had a poster of the Charlie.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I bet you did. I was just saying which one did you want to be? Cheryl Ladd?

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

I wanted to be Jacqueline. Yeah.

[Craig Melvin]

I wanted to be Bosley.

[Savannah Guthrie]

You were Charlie. All right, let's get a check of the weather.

[Ashley Banfield]

And then they threw to break. And then you see Savannah over at the crowd acknowledging the folks who are there and also like taking a selfie as they're going to break. You can just slightly hear Savannah's voice as they head to break. When they come back from break, you'll notice that again, Craig Melvin takes the interview with Keanu Reeves. Now that's not going to be an emotional interview. So whatever it was, maybe Savannah just wanted to back off a little and say, Craig, you do the heavier lifting, the live stuff. I don't, I don't want to worry about a wild card. If a. If a celebrity starts acknowledging this moment and I struggle with it, who knows why the decision was made. It might have been made anyway. But I just noticed that Craig did the full Keanu Reeves interview. And then they threw back to the last segment that Savannah did and that was a segment with Jenna on the couch. And they talked about perimenopause. It was kind of an easy, lighter interview, but serious about health and nothing that would sort of strike a chord and make things difficult.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Hey, for. Good morning. The zone of chaos.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Wow, man. Preach that. Ain't that the truth. Okay, when you say the new perimenopause makes it sound like the new fashionable thing. What? I mean, what do you mean by that? So a lot of women are blindsided by this. Well, also, when does it start? I mean, let's talk about it. This zone of chaos sounds like a roller coaster ride, band name. Yes, exactly.

[Ashley Banfield]

And that effectively was it. There was no goodbye. Savannah didn't say goodbye. I think they do this on purpose. They kind of throw to the next segment. It goes to Carson Daly. Carson Daly goes to break, and then they open up on the third hour, and that is a whole new cast. And so there was no official goodbye. There was no official thank you so much for helping me through this. None of that. It was just the segments. Over. Over to you, Carson. And that was the end of Savannah's appearance on the Today show. But man, oh, man, did she ever do a great job. Talk about grace under pressure, and it could not have been easy. I'm telling you, that whole stress of being live, knowing that the. The world would be watching. I'm sure that the ratings will go through the roof. There's a lot of promotion that this was going to be Savannah's first day back, and hats off to her. I don't think I could have done it. It's why she is at the top of her game, in the top position in television. And, you know, I think everybody would. Most everybody would join me in saying congratulations. We're proud of you, Savannah, and we're all rooting for you as you continue on in this. I don't even know what to call it, this netherworld of sadness and confusion, but also forging ahead with your family and your career, I now want to talk to Brian Baltazar because if anybody has insight into the inner workings of everything that went on to put this show on and what it looked like when it was on, Brian is the guy. Not only has he been a part of the NBC family since I was there back in 1999, but he's also been on both sides of the camera. He was a Today show producer. He's been a Today show guest. He was an MSNBC producer and. And, you know, partly talent, partly producer, and also tight with a lot of the producing staff and the talent. Here's my conversation with Brian. Brian, first of all, it's so good to see you. Because if our audience doesn't know this, Brian and I go back how many years?

[Brian Baltazar]

Well, let's not get lost in numbers 25 and 26. It's been a minute 27 minute, Ashley.

[Ashley Banfield]

27. Honest to God, 1999. Yeah. Just FYI. You look good.

[Brian Baltazar]

Thank you. So do you always. That's good to see you.

[Ashley Banfield]

Oh, I always say it's smoke and mirrors and makeup and lighting and all the rest, but.

[Brian Baltazar]

Okay.

[Ashley Banfield]

But I. I thought of you right away because. So just, you know, background here. Brian and I worked together on a show on MSNBC for years, and then Brian worked on the Today show. I mentioned this in the intro already, but that you've done on camera, you've done behind the scenes. You were Kathie Lee's best friend.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah, I watched before the tour with her. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. You have just such an incredible grounded knowledge of the culture of NBC, the culture of the Today show, the machinations, the protocols, all of it. So you're perfect for this. Give me your overall impressions of Savannah's return this morning on the show.

[Brian Baltazar]

I have to say, I was pretty blown away. You know, I think one of the things that's so compelling about this story is that we're all, you know, each one of us had a mother. Now, how that relationship was for each of us is different, but we all kind of put ourselves in that position. Many of us are just trying to imagine the emotion of doing something like going through this in the first place and then going back to work and having to put on in the same way that she described it in her interview with Hoda a little while back. Was that like, you know, to come back and do it from a place of joy? Because that's what that show really kind of at its core, needs to be. I was really impressed. I was really impressed at her ability to kind of just say, you know, buckle up. Let's cover the news. And I was impressed about how they covered it. I thought they did it in a very authentic and sincere way. I like that they kind of didn't put it in the cold open or the. The pre recorded open, that they didn't have her, you know, refer to her own story, which I think they. They obviously, they alluded to it. She was wearing a yellow dress. She was wearing a heart, a yellow heart. And she had. There were yellow flowers everywhere. But at least initially, it was like, let's hit the ground running. And I can understand why it was important for her to feel some degree of normalcy, to feel like she could have that life back. So I was really impressed with how well she carried herself.

[Ashley Banfield]

Do you, like, what would the producing meetings have been like? Cause I'm thinking these meetings went on for a week, figuring out what balance are we gonna strike? How much do you think she was a part of it? How much do you think there were suggestions that she might have pushed back, like, give the background of how you think it all came together?

[Brian Baltazar]

I speculate. I imagine that, first of all, I do know that they've been very considerate and very kind in their approach to her and what her comfort zone and her comfort level is that I know for a fact. I think the conversations probably were, how do we address this or not address this? How much do we say and how much we don't? And they've always been very cognizant about even what they say about the investigation in kind of chat moments. But I think they probably were very calculated in who, as they always are, who does what interview and with whom. Did they have her do a solo interview? Do they have her do interviews as a group? They want to be mindful of how she's doing and probably check in, in every break. How are you feeling? You're feeling good, you know, that kind of thing. I think she probably also had a lot to say about how much she wanted to refer to refer to it, the situation that she's in. And then how much, you know, I thought was really interesting is she kept it really, really together. And 8:30 is when they go out onto the plaza. And that's the one part of the show that's not really scripted in the same way that the others are. So I. And that was where she got emotional. I think that was an interesting moment because in those earlier. And we're again, we're all imagining what this must be like, because how can any of us know it's such an anomalous situation? You can't even imagine it. But I think in those earlier segments, when you have a script and you have a guest and you can keep that focus and you've been on the air for years and you know that, you know, you're still your truly authentic self, but you're also really like, laser focused on the story. You're covering the guests that you have and also trying to be hyper aware of everything that's happening around you. I think that's why people don't necessarily know how tiring it can be to be on air sometimes, as you were for you were on air for hours at a time, as is Savannah. So I think that 8:30 moment where then you're kind of. There's this outpouring of people on the plaza. They're holding signs like, that's where you can't. You don't have that same, like, here's my guest, here's my story, here's my rules of engagement. I think that's where that was like, wow. That's where you really see how strong her resolve is. And then she showed some emotion. I think that was the appropriate place to do it. So I think they certainly thought about. To summarize your question in a much shorter way, I think they thought about who does the cold open, who does the hello, who interviews each guest when and what do they say about the situation at hand? And I think they. They did all those very thoughtfully. And I think the other thing that they probably have had the conversation about is, and what we haven't seen manifest yet is how do they then handle this if there's a development in that story when she's back?

[Ashley Banfield]

I'm getting to that. I'm getting to that because this is like, it's one of my big questions that I have for you, because it is. This is a big, big issue for NBC to deal with it. So I'm gonna get to that in a moment. But I don't want to leave this issue about the assigning the interviews. And I'm gonna get to the moment out on the plaza, too, because there was like, a grand exit as well that was quite big. And I want to talk to you about that in a second. But the two big interviews today were Terry Crews and his wife on the sofa. Craig Melvin did that, and then Keanu Reeves, and Craig Melvin did that as well. Do you think that would have been normal or do you think it was specific? Look, these are moments where you're solo, you're by yourself. Terry Crews is an emotional interview with his wife. She's suffering from Parkinson's. Who knows the wild card that is Keanu Reeves? What if he brings up the, you know, the issue that you're dealing with with your mom? What do you think the decision making was there?

[Brian Baltazar]

To me, I'm not so sure it was so deep with those two interviews, because I'm trying to. If I were the. If I were executive producing that show, I'd be thinking, what if any parallels are there in a guest story or even the plot of a movie? I remember. Here's a strange example. I remember when my mom was ill, she had health problems for a while, and I was renting her movies. And I learned very quickly how often certain things come up in movies. I'm like, oh, I can't send her that. So I would imagine they were probably Thinking about all the nuances of that guest and that story and are there any ways that that could be somehow, you know, emotionally triggered? Triggering. And so I think a producer, a good producer would say to their guests, we're going to ask that you don't refer directly to what she's going. I think she was more than capable of handling both of those interviews. But I think if I were a producer or if I were ep, I would inform the guest, we ask that you don't bring up this matter directly. I think most of them would have the common sense to not do that. And maybe I think even let's say often after we go to break, sometimes there's a moment between a guest and the host of kind of, kind of an authentic moment, an unscripted, authentic moment. Hey, I'm thinking of you. That kind of thing. And I think they probably, I would say, let's just, you know, keep that in mind. I think that the other interview that she did do was with Jenna regarding perimenopause. And so there's another example that maybe she, she could have done that alone. But I think it's appropriate in this case to like create, you know, a safe space where it's like, I don't think anyone at the average viewer probably didn't overthink who was sitting in those segments because they weren't necessarily anything that I thought were connected in any way, shape or form that would make you think, oh, she should have or should not have done that.

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[Brian Baltazar]

I was running hours of news and talk. Usually. Let's take this scenario way out of the picture. The debate over who led a segment was usually who is the better guest interview. I want to do that hard hitting interview. That was not the case today. This was more. These were fairly light interviews. There were light stories that were being covered. So I don't think necessarily that came into play today. But it, but it is an interesting observation that you make, you know.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, I just thought what if Savannah's alone on the couch with Terry Crews and his wife, Rebecca, I think her name is. And this is emotional, and this is hard. They're struggling. They're having a. Their life is in turmoil. And she just, all of a sudden is seized with the, you know, empathy of feeling that way. That was the only thing I wondered about, that one with Keanu, I thought. I didn't know how many producers would feel comfortable talking to some big, big star and telling them, you can't do this.

[Brian Baltazar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

Maybe that's why there's usually a person

[Brian Baltazar]

outside of the group. Yeah, there's usually, you know, that big, big star. And I think Keanu's one of those people who's a class act anyway. You know, like, we've seen how he is. His authentic, you know, from riding the subway to just hanging out with, you know, your average Joe's on the crew. Whatever the. Whatever the. Not a prima donna examples are. Exactly. But most of these celebrities don't come alone, so they have a publicist or a manager, so a person, a producer that maybe doesn't have the courage to say it to them, which would say it to their liaison. So there always are these kind of checks and balances, these procedural things that can help you ease into what may be a difficult ask, you know, but I don't think that would have been the case today.

[Ashley Banfield]

So who do you think made the decision on wearing a yellow dress and having yellow flowers all throughout the studio?

[Brian Baltazar]

I think the yellow dress was probably Savannah's choice. I think that that's been kind of her and the Today show family's nod to their empathy and love for her and the situation and raising awareness. So I think that was probably her choice as far as the flowers. It's an interesting question. I. I wonder. I think it was probably a very mindful decision. They've been carrying the theme of yellow throughout, so I almost think it would be unusual not to have it today of all days. So I think they probably ran it up, the poll in some way. I think there probably have been a lot of conversations between the executive producer and Savannah about her comfort level with certain things. And if I were the executive producer of that show, I would be going through, like, okay, I know these may sound. These may seem like very minuscule questions I'm going to ask you, but are you okay with yellow flowers? Are you okay with, you know. You know, there's going to be signs on the plaza. Do you want to go out on the plaza? All of these things. I think that those are things that if you're. And I'm. Sure they were very compassionate and empathetic with her about doing this. I'm sure of it. That they really did go through all of the steps. You know, typically a host or anchor will get a walkthrough, a verbal walkthrough of the rundown of the show that morning. I think they probably did it last night, you know, so everyone sleeps better knowing that everyone is comfortable with what's gonna happen in the next day.

[Ashley Banfield]

I did notice that one woman had a sign out on the plaza that had Nancy Guthrie's face, you know, next to Savannah. And I almost wondered if that was something that could be in the control of the Today. Could the producers have gone out and said, ma', am, this is too much. Could you maybe put your sign away? That didn't happen. It was. It was front and center. It was shown multiple times.

[Brian Baltazar]

I did think of that, and I wondered to myself how I would have handled that if I were an executive producer. One. It's like the.

[Ashley Banfield]

The.

[Brian Baltazar]

There's quite a bit of security in every case on the Today show plaza. So I do think they were probably mindful. My concern is always like, that one is a sympathetic sign. I always. I think my biggest concern would be the unpredictability of the plaza. And not that I'm suggesting. I'm not suggesting something terribly nefarious happening. I'm really saying, like, you know, we live in a world of Internet detectives, and I just. I was concerned about, like, the wrong people trying to hold up signs. You know, Like, I don't. I'm not. I just. What I'm trying to say is, like, I just was. I would be very aware of, like, making sure that all the signs were warm and sending the right message. I don't think anyone would send negative messages. I just. I would be really, really mindful of all of, like, you know, not overwhelming anyone. You know what I mean? That is really what I'm trying to say. I'm not suggesting anything crazy or underhanded. I'm just saying I would be very mindful.

[Savannah Guthrie]

Do they have.

[Ashley Banfield]

Do they have the right to tell people that sign goes? You go, is the plaza really their property? Where they can say, you're a guest on this property and you cannot be here.

[Brian Baltazar]

I can't speak to whether it's. You know, I mean, I don't. I think basically, at the bare minimum, someone can ask nicely about, you know, that sign might be upsetting or something like that. They can ask, and if they say no, then a director will say, stay away from that Corner just don't show

[Ashley Banfield]

that shot, and the cameras don't shoot that way.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah, yeah. Because that happens on every day. You know, every day you go out on the plaza, you're wondering if someone's gonna hold up the wrong sign. It's not exclusive to this. You're like, is someone, you know, gonna try and get attention or, you know, some. On a good day, it's someone asking someone to marry them, you know, but also sometimes it's just someone trying to be funny and get attention and go viral for, you know, who knows what. So you always. You always are mean or funny. Yeah. Now, granted, I think to get onto the plaza area, there are barricades, so you can't just walk up in the way you once used to. I think it's more controlled now. So there's that. I think that there's a. There are more levels of security to being along that barricade than there used to be. So that's. That's in their favor as well, that they can kind of monitor and monitor that messaging.

[Ashley Banfield]

Thank God for that. Because, I mean, you know, people. They're the worst. And I say that all loving because there are really terrible people out there. You got to be aware of them. So, yes, the other question I had was in. In the beginning of the show, you could see through to the plaza, and you can't see people. And the 7am hour, you don't see the people, but you could see an NYPD officer. And I was trying to remember how normal it is for an NYPD officer to be on the plaza. Is it every day?

[Brian Baltazar]

I believe so. I think. I don't think that's an anomaly, but I think, you know, I don't know if any communication would have been had about that, but I think there's. There's always some level of security. I frequently have seen police cars outside the plaza because I still am in that area often during that time of day. So I don't think that. I don't think that's. That's too unusual.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. Okay. Now, do you have any knowledge of the. The mood in the last two months in Savannah's absence, how it's been among the staff and on the producing team?

[Brian Baltazar]

I other. I think there is a genuine love for Savannah on. In the. In the inside of that team. She is a favorite among the producers, for sure. I think there's been a real respect and caution exercised internally to not. And I think also just for the. For the. For the. What's the word? I'm trying to say, I think also for the integrity of the investigation. They just trying to be very careful, like, in everything they say and do internally. I think they. They treat this with a very sacred approach because I think they, you know, we. They mentioned the Today show family quite a bit. And I know. I'm sure there are probably a lot of people who don't really understand what do you mean today. So not a family. But I will say, and you and I, you can speak to this yourself. Like, when you work with someone and you spent months overseas with a very small group of people, they do become chosen family. Like, you have a relationship, you say things to these people you wouldn't say to your own family. So there is a. There is an authenticity, a truth to the level of devotion and care that exists among that group of people. So I think, you know, one. I think the first answer is absolute horror at what happened. Incredulousness. It's just. This is an incredibly unusual and shocking story, and it's a crazy situation. So I think there. There's almost kind of an emotional paralysis that comes with something that happens to someone you know and love. But also not everyone on the staff is going to be equally close to her. So I think there's very. Be cautious, be appropriate, be careful. But I think there's a genuine love and affection for her and obviously a great deal of empathy and sympathy for what she's going through.

[Ashley Banfield]

Well, and the Internet has been a very mean place, you know, for all stories, all people. It's not just exclusive to the Savannah story, but she certainly has had to struggle through a lot of real haters out there. And I even see some of the folks that you and I know and have worked with piling on and saying, oh, it's a cesspool. And then someone wants the job and there's a jockeying going on. And they, you know, a lot of people have said it's not the family you think of. I hearken back to the days where, you know, it became pretty apparent that. That Matt Lauer and Ann Curry did not get along, and there was a genuine dislike there. So the whole notion that it's always happy, happy, loving family isn't always true. But is there any element of that in. In this cast?

[Brian Baltazar]

I mean, I think this. The gravity of this situation has. If there. If there was any level of that, I think the gravity of this situation has sort of eliminated, muted, whatever. Whatever that. Whatever that may have existed. And you're absolutely right. This is still a workplace. There are still people who have career goals and ambitions. But I think in, in this particular case, I think we're dealing with something so huge that I think everyone kind of has risen up. It's a situation we've never seen before. It is like out of a movie. It really is. It seems like a movie plot. It just seems so unbelievable. And so I think that there, I think people have really risen up to really be there and be there in the right way and be present in the most supportive way possible.

[Ashley Banfield]

I thought of it as I was watching through the show because like you said, there's Internet detectives who are going to watch every single shred of that show and read into it. And I thought a lot of people on the Internet would read into Chynelle, who never acknowledged anything, multiple appearances today on the show and she never said welcome back. She was the only one of six who didn't say welcome back. We missed you and had a few opportunities and didn't do it. And I just wondered if that was going to be yet again a blow up online.

[Brian Baltazar]

I mean, you can never underestimate the online haters ability to kind of glob onto something is glob on a word or expression, but kind of to attach themselves to something and try and create something conceivably out of nothing. I will say I personally am one of those people in awkward situations when I don't know what to say, I freeze up. And that can for me be conceived as. When I've been that way, I'm like, am I being perceived as, yeah, aloof or. But for me, I just. When I'm not a person that's at a loss for words. But when these situations come up, I wouldn't. I don't know where to begin. I've lost people that I'm very close to in my life. And so when I, when I, even even though I've had that happen, when I see someone else going through it, I still don't know what to say. So that's what you're suggesting, a very simple thing to do or say. But like I, you know, like you said, there, there's scads of online sleuths and they're all trying to find something and, and you know, we've seen examples where that can be a good thing. Sometimes Internet sleuths can have insights that can be really incredible. I don't know if you saw the documentary Don't F with Cats or, you

[Ashley Banfield]

know, things like that, like Words to live By. And then Gabby Petito was solved by online people, you know, Online sleuths solve Gabby Petito.

[Brian Baltazar]

Right. And so there. There definitely is. There are scenarios in which online sleuths can be incredibly helpful. And I think, you know, we walk that fine line of trying not to, you know, dissuade people, because, you know, I'm listening to a podcast called Love Trapped where someone online discovered that someone was faking a pregnancy through what they were wearing because they saw it on Amazon. Like, all those things. You know, there are these. There are these situations where online kind of sleuths can do some digging and find something really of value, but then contrary to that, there are some that

[Ashley Banfield]

are just, yeah, there's a love hate relationship there. Right. Like, sometimes they see things first, and those things do bear out. Other times they read into something that isn't there. And I expected that. When I saw that, I thought, oh, I think the Internet's gonna, you know, do some chewing on that. Who knows what will happen? Variety also had a report a while ago, before today, before the show this morning, that there's no obvious successor to Savannah. And I had to think through it all, and I thought, yeah, I guess there. I mean, I think Nicole Wallace would be a great Today show host as well, but. But, yeah, I guess there really isn't necessarily the next obvious person.

[Brian Baltazar]

I think that is a conversation when there's always. After every pairing on the Today show, there's always been an article about that, who's the success for and who's the successor? And is there one? And this is not the first time we've heard that conversation. There was a time when no one thought that you could replace Matt Lauer. That's just the truth. They used to think there was no one who could replace them. And. And frankly, that was.

[Ashley Banfield]

Or Katie.

[Brian Baltazar]

Right? Yeah. But they thought, how could. Who's. You know, at the time, there was this perception it has to be a man and a woman. You know what I mean? And then, sure enough, Matt was out and two women took that desk, and it was a very smooth transition, you know, and so I, you know, I. I'm of the belief that, you know, that. Well, it's tricky. The internal politics of any network are always tricky. That's just that. Especially on the ascension of a talent. So who knows? But I just believe, you know, you can get lost in those hypotheticals, and then until the day comes where you have to make decisions and choices. And so I think the network was great and just like saying, give her the time that she needs. Hoda stepped in, and now we see where this goes. But I think today was a remarkable example. And I'm sure you watched the three part interview they did. I'm consistently impressed with the level of faith and resolve and strength coming from this person. I did not know Savannah well. I do not know Savannah well other than occasional meeting, you know, crossing paths and meeting up at certain situations. But I did not know the level of the depth to her strength and conviction.

[Ashley Banfield]

I couldn't do it. I'll tell you, I have been just gobsmacked by how erudite she is in a time of stress and pain. I mean, at a time when most of us are umming and ahhing our way through any communications with somebody, let alone a national audience, I've been shocked at just how good she's been on her feet despite the struggle that she's in. And, you know, I'll. I'll veer away from the Today show for a second into the Easter message, because I watched her Easter message and yet again, I thought, holy shit, this girl is. And she's been taking it on the chin. There's a lot of people who say, oh, come on, everybody. There's so many people who've suffered, you know, tragedy. Why are you special? But I, I mean, I look at it differently only because I see that it is different. She's under a microscope. She thinks it's her fault, you know, the potential for this whole thing could have been because of her fame. I do see it differently. I do see that the pressures on her have been tenfold from another person who might have lost a loved one, who would do this with the support of just family and friends and not this, you know, glaring klieglite, you know, but her address was just like, really fascinating. By the way, anybody who watches it, please don't stop halfway.

[Brian Baltazar]

Right? Because.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah, yeah, Savannah questions Jesus. And if he's ever suffered like she has, if you stop there, you won't get her. You won't see, as my producer Lindsay says so eloquently, she lands the plane. You gotta watch her land the plane.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah. She says she has, quote, questioned whether Jesus really ever experienced this particular wound that I feel, this particular grievous and uniquely cruel injury of not knowing, of uncertainty and confusion and answers withheld in those darkest moments. And one of the things I think that is so remarkable and so effective in how she's managing this is that she is being completely authentically herself and saying things that. How could you? I think we all, you know the times and, you know, whether or not you're spiritual. If you're. If you're someone who believes. Believes in God. I think the irony of it is that when you need them, when you need a God the most is also the time when you feel the most abandoned sometimes by it, by your spirituality, like your. By your faith. And so it's. That's where you either draw in strength or you draw. You feel frustrated. My own mother was like, wait, this is. When she was sick. She, how. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. You know, she went to church all the time. She was. She felt betrayed by her, you know, her religion. And so the fact that she's saying these things that, That I think make her that much more relatable. I think it's one thing to be a pillar of strength, which she has been, but you also need the vulnerability. You need to acknowledge the fact that I'm strong. I'm doing my best here, but also, this isn't fair, basically. You know what I mean? I think that that is part of what I find so remarkably relatable. And yes, it's a situation unlike any other. She. In a public profile, but. And she has, yes, she has millions of viewers, but she also has this very, very human, Human connection that I think that really endears her to people watching and listening.

[Ashley Banfield]

Brian, also, just because you've been an executive producer, a lot of people think that if you're on tv, someone's written it for you. You know, if you've given a message, somebody was there to guide you. Somebody was there to tell you. You just showed up and read it. That's not the case with a lot of television these days. That is not the case with cable at all. And it's not the case with someone like Savannah. So just, like, from your knowledge and your background, explain to the viewers how much of everything that Savannah is saying and doing right now is all her and no one else's voice, completely her.

[Brian Baltazar]

In fact, no one. I don't think anyone in that building would dare suggest she even tweak a letter of it, a word of it, unless they were extremely close to her and saying, is this what you're trying to, like, I can't even imagine She's. She wrote the whole thing. First of all, she wouldn't need any. She wouldn't need anyone to give her a tip, you know, because there's literally no one who could tell her, no, this isn't. This isn't it. Even under. Under normal circumstances, a show open, you know, these are. These are shows that come the Talent come under tremendous scrutiny under normal circumstances about what they say. You know, I think that's easy slightly. But there was a time when I was there during Katie and Matt, and if Katie said something that was even slightly incorrect, they would come at her in the newspaper. You know what I mean? So anchors, as, you know, the same thing, you know, you've experienced this as well, delivering the headlines. Boy, if there's a slip of the tongue, which all of us do, every single one of us, and if you don't think you do it, listen to yourself, like record yourself and play it back. But, but things like this, seeing things of this magnitude, she. She wrote it all herself and then it gets put into, into a system and she reads it, but she's reading her own writing.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. In the news headlines, it's a little different. There's writers who throw the news headlines because they're happening overnight and they're being jammed out real fast. Sometimes they're being jammed out literally right before.

[Brian Baltazar]

That's true. They could be instant, but even then, sometimes you'll. You'll be like, oh, this sound. I know when I talk, this will come out more, you know, conversationally. This doesn't sound like something I'd say, so you can still say that fact. And like. So. Yeah. And the system I'm referring to is a computer system that like, in real time will adjust the teleprompter based on in seconds, what you adjusted. Now, granted, the things she's saying in these situations, she's written the night before, whatever, whenever she's written them or, you know, so you, you have the ability to put it in your own voice, but these are things that are completely, completely her.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. I just want people to know that, that anchors are not just spokesmodels. They.

[Brian Baltazar]

Right.

[Ashley Banfield]

Generally. Generally, you know, used to be a time when they were. Honestly.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah.

[Brian Baltazar]

I mean, as nowadays, it's different. Yeah. And. And certainly we always refer back to your yellow legal pad, Ashley. Like when you had no prompter, it was all your words because you had written them. And I know that. Yeah, you had written them. I mean, you should have been a doctor, because I can't read a word of it, but.

[Ashley Banfield]

Right. Do you know what I did over the weekend? I went through 20 years of stuff that was in the attic and I found all my legal pads from Afghanistan. There was a whole clump of them. All the reporters notebooks from Afghanistan. I tried to think, what am I going to do with it? And I ultimately threw them away.

[Brian Baltazar]

Did you? I was Gonna say, I think it's hard when you, when you go through these things. You're like, do I? I've been going through that lately where I'm probably gonna move. And I'm like, do I want to move this? And it's like one less box. But it's hard. It's hard to just, it's really hard to. Sometimes you have to go back a couple times. Yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. I kept the photos. I leafed through them and I started thinking, God, I don't even remember this. I don't even. But my penmanship was much better. And then I did remember a few of them and I remember a few of the interviews. And this is Shake, so. And so Abdullah or whatever. And I thought, I can't believe how much shit I went through every day to put the show in the air. Anyway, I digress. I want. Speaking of news, I do want to ask you, huh, especially as an ep, how is the Today show, Do you think, how is the Today show going to handle news about Nancy Gothard?

[Brian Baltazar]

Well, I, that's the thing that I think is going to be the Mike. Probably the tricky part, I think I would imagine the understanding was. And if I were an executive producer, I would say one. First of all, she'll probably be. She'll find out first, probably, you know, in all likelihood or not, you know, the distance between someone finding out and her knowing will be very close. But I think they will give her the option of saying, do you want to bow out today? Do you want to, like, take today? I don't think they're going, they're certainly not going to be like, and now here she is with whatever. The minute there's a development of great magnitude, she will be on the first plane, you know, home. So I think that that is something they're going to figure out as they go together. You know, I think that now that we're in a situation, unfortunately, where there haven't been many new developments of great magnitude that we know of. So I think when that day comes, they'll have that conversation. How do you, Savannah, want to handle it, you know, and give her the ability to weigh in. But I think the obvious, the first and obvious thing will probably be to say she's not joining us today because she's, you know, and I think that there'll be a great amount of compassion and understanding when that day comes. You know, if. And when that day comes, that they give her the grace to deal with that in whatever way she sees fit in her way.

[Ashley Banfield]

And, and it's important to know that news sometimes does break between 7 and 9am but like you said, when you are a victim's family member, if there's massive news, you're usually told first. And so the news division won't even know about it before Savannah knows about it. And in that way they'll be able to make their decisions accordingly. It's not as though, you know, news is going to come across the teletype and suddenly it's on the, the, the anchor desk and they have to deal with it with her sitting right beside that. That's just not going to happen.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

So, Brian, I mentioned it earlier. I want to dig into it a little bit more. The last part of the Today show, they go out to the plaza. You already touched on it. I want to go in a little bit more in depth here. They opened from commercial break on some of the anchors. Savannah was not there. Jenna was not there. And then Al called for sg, come on out. That's not normal having Savannah and Jenna walk out together. Sort of, I think Jenna holding her for support, but also she had very high heels. Right. So I think Savannah might have needed the help because of the heels. But that was a moment and I wondered what you thought about that. Would that have been something the producers would have asked for? Would that have been something that Savannah would have said, I'm fine with it? Like, how would that have all come about?

[Brian Baltazar]

They would certainly have run that by her. I don't think she initiated that. I think that someone said, you know, you're returning to see your, your fan family, the Plaza family. I guess the. And so I think there was probably a general awareness that there would be a very warm reception. I was actually surprised by it too, but I was also.

[Ashley Banfield]

I was very surprised.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah. And I'm certain, I'm certain that they probably. They asked her first. I'm certain they asked her first. Now, what I don't know is that they asked her at first to do alone and they said, I'd love Jenna to come out with. Like having Jenna with her I thought was appropriate and came from a place of warmth. I think if it were her by herself, that might have felt that might have hit differently, for lack of a better way of putting it. But I think it was really a way of showing people at home how much the people out there were reacting to her return. And so because when I will say this, when you're on the plaza on any day and one of the anchors comes out, there is an eruption of screams. It Just happens. It just because they've been out there since 6 in the morning, those people. So when they see waiting in the cold and rain, not earlier, sometimes it's earlier. So when they do get there and they're all trying to get a shot, they're all trying to get a glimpse or a photograph of the, the Today show talent. And so when that does happen, you hear it, you know it, you're inside and you hear, oh, somebody just went outside. You just know it. Or there's a camera on those people. So I think that, yeah, that was definitely a decision made internally and it would have been run by her. And then someone said, why don't we have Jenna come out with her? It's her best friend, one of her best friends. And so that was, that was ultimately what happened. And I think it did capture it. I mean, you heard it on, you heard it right at the moment they came out, but it was definitely a moment that you don't typically see for sure.

[Ashley Banfield]

And also this was the moment that she did finally break down and let, let a little tear out.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah. I mean, it's the moment where you're, you're. There's no script, there's no teleprompter for every. There's no, there's no one really, with the exception of Jenna right beside you, to kind of. It's literally a, It's a moment where it's authentically you just walking out there, being greeted by a wave of love and support. So I'm not surprised. I didn't expect. I was always thinking about what would 7am look like? I didn't expect, expect that moment to come at 8:30. And it was, it was an appropriate place for her to be emotional because she had her friends there with her. But also this reflection of just how much people were supporting her, for sure.

[Ashley Banfield]

And thank God for that. And so what are your thoughts about sort of the days and the weeks and the months ahead, just business as usual, almost as though nothing ever happened. Any reference, any milestones noted, like how how do you suppose they'll want to treat this relationship going forward, how she'll want to treat her? Remember how she said, I want to give it a try? I don't know if I'll be able to do it, but I certainly want to try. How are they going to handle that going forward, do you think?

[Brian Baltazar]

I think probably one of the hardest days was today. Right. I think now we'll probably see that references to her being back will kind of trickle off, you know, a little bit and try and return to some normalcy. I think probably also her own, as she said herself, like being here and part of the, part of this family that she feels so tight with, part of that is feeling like she's regained some of her life back. And she even said herself like that when she. Joy will be her protest. I'm paraphrasing it, but like her coming back and she wanted to feel authentic. When she's happy on the show, it will be real and that will be her protest. And I think, you know, she, it's, there's no right or wrong answer. There's no way to know how long it is before you should return to whatever your life is, whatever you want your life to be in the face of something as tragic as this or scary as this. So I think probably it will return to more of a business as usual situation day to day. And I think that probably she, I can't imagine she wants to be reminded of it on air all the time. You know, I think she probably wants to be able to, you know, escape into the news a little bit, escape into a feature story and not feel like she's got this kind of shadow around her and certainly will never be off her mind. Every day it will be on her mind until she has some degree of knowledge or closure as she seeks. But I think that it's, it has to in order for this to work for her and I think for the viewer they kind of have to like, like ease into a bit more of a business as usual situation and then they will at the pace that she feels good about it.

[Ashley Banfield]

Yeah. And hopefully the viewers, certainly the haters, will give her some grace knowing that, sure, she's a, she's a victim of, of crime and there's lots of victims of crime out there. And is she special? No, not in that sense. But is she special in another sense? Yes, because she reports this stuff and she's living it under the Klee glights of it. So it is a vastly different experience for her than it would be for maybe for someone else. But I do hope that, you know, I, I hope that the entirety of NBC gives her that support and grace and love and that there aren't those who snipe and, and hope for her to fail. And I, I know it in the business, people can be nasty, but generally speaking, I've had a pretty good experience with a lot of folks. There's, there's the occasional ones who aren't so nice, but, but generally speaking, as a, as a volume, most People are rooting for you.

[Brian Baltazar]

And I think also, I think if anything, if there's a change that we may see that's not obvious to us initially is that, you know, someday there will be another story involving another family that involves someone missing. And I think it may. The lens in which they cover those stories may be treated with a little bit of different care or a different lens, you know, to how they. You know, there. There was a time in the 2000s. I mean, you and I were in Salt Lake City for a long time covering Elizabeth Smart's disappearance, right. And we never thought. Honestly, there was a time we were one of the last satellite trucks there. You'll remember, Ashley. We were five weeks. Yeah. We went from there being 40 trucks to two and then one, you know, and. And I think we all thought, oh, my gosh, they're never going to find. It never crossed our mind that we would, months later see that Elizabeth Smart had returned. Right. But I think that that was also an era where the people were all fighting for the story, right? And there were all sort. People ask questions that now I think would curl people's hair, you know, And I'm not saying you. I just mean in general, like, everyone wants to get an exclusive. I think now we're in a bit of a different era of the kind of questions that we ask people. And I think in a good way sometimes, not always, but in a good way in this case, I think I'll

[Ashley Banfield]

tell you, you probably booked this interview, actually, now that I think back to it. But I remember having an interview with Ed and Lois and had to ask the question because that's what everybody was reporting. The headlines were all over the place that, you know, that Ed's got this past and it's probably him. And, you know, I had to ask those questions. And I remember how painful it was just to ask.

[Brian Baltazar]

It's hard. And you know, what people don't understand also is that there are people in your ear saying, ask the question. It's not just you saying, oh, I want to. It's not fun for you to ask that question or anyone for that matter. There are some journalists out there that love to. To. To get that dig in there and get nested.

[Ashley Banfield]

But you have to ask, you know, like, you can't. You cannot avoid the elephant in the room as journalists. You know, you've gotta. You gotta do the hard stuff. You gotta report the hard stuff, and you gotta ask the hard questions. And you do it with as much, you know, delicacy and grace as you can. But generally speaking, there's very little of that that you can offer because it is just such a painful topic.

[Brian Baltazar]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Ashley Banfield]

In any case, listen, I can't think of anybody else who would have a better perspective on just all the stuff in the background that would be going on and, and would see the bigger whole picture than you. Plus, it's just really good to talk to you again after all these years.

[Brian Baltazar]

Let's do it again soon.

[Ashley Banfield]

I mean, talk to you officially. Yes, we talk on text all the time, but to be on camera with you is just really fun. Thanks, Brian Baltazar, thank you so much.

[Brian Baltazar]

Good to see you.

[Ashley Banfield]

So that is where we stand, y', all on Monday, April 6, Day 65 of the Guthrie case. By the way, if I look super tired, it's because I'm doing this in the morning. I'm not a morning person at all. So it is a good thing I don't do morning television. I would never last, that's for sure. But stay tuned this week to my episodes because I'm being going to be giving you some updates on important cases that we haven't seen a lot of lately because the Guthrie case seemed to be so all consuming. But I'm going to have lots for you. And again, I always am so appreciative that you're here whether you're watching or listening. Thank you so much. Don't forget to subscribe and join our membership if you want to see some of the exclusive content that I release to our membership every so often. And we have these really fun Q and A that's kind of funny and silly and we do them every couple of weeks and we hope you can join. Thanks again everybody. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.