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Savannah Guthrie Was Shocked When Kelly Rowland Walked Off ‘Today’ Set: ‘I Don’t Know What Happened’
A major miscommunication. Savannah Guthrie claims she genuinely had no idea that Kelly Rowland was going to walk off the set of Today on February 15.
“She was lovely. I had no idea, no inkling that anything was amiss,” Savannah, 52, told Page Six on Wednesday, February 21. “She was as sweet, and kind and professional as she ever was. I don’t know what happened behind the scenes.”
The incident began when Kelly, 43, joined Savannah for an interview on the morning talk show to promote her new Netflix film, Mea Culpa. In the now-viral clip, the broadcaster pried the Destiny’s Child alum for information on former bandmate Beyoncé’s new country album.
“What do you think about your friend Beyoncé,” Savannah asked Kelly. “She’s like your sister, you guys literally grew up together — she’s stepping into country.”
“I’m so proud of her,” she simply responded, leading Savannah to say, “I know, but were you surprised and what do you think about it?”
“I’m so proud of her,” Kelly replied. “So happy for her.”
The exchange led viewers to deem Savannah as “disrespectful” toward Kelly and her latest project in posts shared on X. Kelly was then supposed to serve as a guest cohost next to Hoda Kotb later on in the broadcast. Instead, she ended up walking off the set of the show. Initially, Page Six reported that the Grammy winner was unhappy with the dressing room she was provided with backstage.
It has since been reported by other outlets that she was unhappy with the nature of the questions during the interview. Rita Ora ended up stepping in as a guest cohost instead of Kelly at the last minute.
“After 28 years of knowing her, Kelly Rowland remains one of the kindest, most amiable humans I have ever met and have had the blessing to represent,” Kelly’s rep, Yvette Noel-Schure, told Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday, February 20, following the Today appearance.
Savannah also seemingly addressed the controversy, hinting that the dressing rooms backstage could use a bit of a refresh.
“We need a remodel. We need Extreme Makeover: Today Show Dressing Room Edition,” she told Entertainment Tonight on Wednesday. “We are in a historic studio, 1A. It’s the same studio that has been used for decades. It’s incredible and it’s iconic, but it’s old … You get the good with the bad … If you want history, sometimes you’re gonna have a few little chips of paint coming off the wall.”
“We try to do our best,” she added. “Hopefully, the main thing is how people feel and the reception that they get, a warm hug from all of us on the show, ’cause we’re really grateful for them coming.”
