Hoda Kotb Sparks Backlash With Arizona Wellness Retreat

Today Show host Hoda Kotb’s latest decision to host a wellness retreat in Arizona amid co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother missing has caused controversy amongst fans. Savannah’s mom, Nancy, 84, was kidnapped on Feb. 1 from her home in Arizona and has since not been located despite ongoing search efforts. 

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, as reported by In Touch. 

“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 added. “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 continued. “It just doesn’t land well.”

Kotb is the founder of Joy 101, a wellness brand and app. The retreat, which was held from 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.”

The retreat was planned in advance of Nancy’s kidnapping. “People understand commitments,” another insider told the columnist. “But this one feels like it should have been reconsidered.”

Of the retreat, Kotb encouraged attendees to “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.”

Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos has been asking Nancy’s neighbors for any surveillance footage from Jan. 11. Neighbors near Guthrie’s home told NBC News recently that investigators asked for the footage of the woman 30 days before she went missing.

Savannah and her family also shared that Jan. 11 date in a message on March 21 asking for the community’s continued support. “We hope people search their memories, especially around the key timelines of Jan. 31 and the early morning hours of Feb.1, as well as the late evening of Jan. 11,” they said in a statement per Today.