Savannah Guthrie showed up late to “Today” on Thursday, claiming she overslept. However, TV insiders think her tardiness was deliberate and a direct response to her rumored feud with co-anchor Hoda Kotb.
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The affable “Today” host got to the studio 20 minutes before “Today” went to air to show NBC News “who is the real boss,” a TV insider told Page Six, adding that there’s little chance Savannah was actually catching a few too many zzzz’s.
“This would never happen. She is literally the $40 million dollar woman. She is showing them who is the boss and that they can’t do the show without her,” the source said. “When Savannah doesn’t show up for work the entire force of NBC News is dispatched to find out where she is.”
“Savannah simply isn’t allowed to ‘go off the grid’, what if there is breaking news?,” the insider noted, adding that she’s picked up promptly at 4 a.m. every day. “Producers, assistants, executives, security, hair and makeup people are all waiting for her to arrive. If she’s one minute late, everyone would notice. If she’s 10 minutes late, it’s CODE RED.”
Savannah is the most consequential part of the show, the source said, and she knows it.
“There is always a morning meeting ahead of the show, and if she isn’t there at that point, we’re talking about staff in hysterics and someone being called to break down her door,” the source said.
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While Savannah is seemingly indispensable, Hoda, who is on vacation this week, is arguably more of a fan favorite.
“When they come outside into the square, everyone is chanting Hoda’s name, Hoda is the bigger star. Savannah believes she is the real news anchor, she’s a creature of Washington, she loves politics, she has the reporting and interviewing chops,” a second source said. “Even some of the stars who appear on the show all to be interviewed by Hoda because she is so much friendlier.”
The insider noted that there is “an underlying competitiveness” between the two women, which makes it hard to “pretend to be best friends.”
“Savannah and Hoda are very tense around each other. Savannah was furious when Hoda was brought into the first hour of the show, she wants to be the queen bee, and flipped out on producers,” the second source claimed.
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A third source also questioned Savannah’s claim that she overslept.
“She is a total pro and would never want to look like she isn’t the full professional,” the source said.