As authorities continue searching for Nancy Guthrie, The Today Show faces fresh criticism over an Instagram caption shared alongside a video of host Sheinelle Jones with the mother of singer Adrienne Bailon-Houghton.
For context, on February 13, the segment’s official Instagram account shared an off-air clip from the episode of Today with Jenna and Sheinelle, showing Jones sharing a hug with Adrienne Bailon-Houghton’s mother, Nilda Felix.
According to the caption, the two share a special bond as Felix helped the Today host after her husband’s passing. Uche Ojeh, Jones’ husband of 17 years, passed away in May 2025 of glioblastoma at age 45.
“Nothing beats a mom hug. Sheinelle shares that Adrienne Bailon-Houghton’s mom comforted her in the days after Uche’s passing. They reunited in Studio 1A today. 🫂” the caption stated.
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Despite the wholesome clip, the caption drew criticism from many netizens, who flagged it as insensitive in the wake of Today host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother, Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
“I feel like this is a very poorly worded caption, given that Savannah’s mom is still missing,” one user wrote.
“I’m sure Savannah would love a hug from her mom…..pretty tactless caption given what is going on with your colleague/friend,” another user commented.
A third user voiced similar sentiments, writing, “Not the time for this post with what poor Savannah is going through! We all love our mom’s love and support but save the post for another day,” while another social media user urged more sensitivity, writing, “Y’all. Your coworker and friend Savannah’s mom got abducted in the middle of the night and they are still searching from her. Have some sensitivity! Horrible caption!”
Another social media user deemed the caption “tasteless.”
“A tasteless caption,” they wrote.
However, some users felt the caption was unrelated to Savannah’s mother, with one writing, ”Precious. Beautiful moment.”
”Nothing beats a mom’s hug and her prayers,” another user added.
Nancy Guthrie, an 84-year-old lady, was last seen on Saturday, January 31, at her home in Arizona. According to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department, Sheriff Chris Nanos, Guthrie was dropped off at her home by her family after she had dinner and played games with them at their home.
The following day, she was reported missing by her family after they went to her house to check on her.
“We get these calls quite often, and we do a good job of searching the area. But, this one stood out because of what was described to us at the scene and what we found and located just in looking at the scene,” said Nanos regarding the 911 call they received from Guthrie’s family.
After launching an immediate search for Guthrie, the sheriff revealed that they are treating the investigation as a “crime.”
“We believe now, after we’ve processed that crime scene, that we do, in fact have a crime scene, that we do in fact have a crime and we’re asking the community’s help,” he said.
Since then, authorities have released surveillance footage from the elder lady’s doorbell camera showing a masked, who was believed to be “armed,” attempting to interfere with the Nest camera on the morning of her abduction.
Two Nest Doorbell videos show the suspect in Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
Something feels off about how casually he’s walking up to her door.
If you have any information, call 1‑800‑CALL‑FBI pic.twitter.com/XOFuvOYPMb
— Digital Daisy (@DigitalDaisyX) February 10, 2026
Recently, authorities detained multiple indivuduals in connection with Nancy Guthrie’s investigation; however, later released them and confirmed that no arrests were made, per News Nation.
Additionally, ransom notes potentially tied to Guthrie’s abduction have been sent to multiple news outlets, and the FBI is now offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to Nancy’s safe return or an arrest.
