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NBC’s Today Show host Savannah Guthrie is making the most of things after accidentally swearing on live TV. Nathan Rousseau Smith has the latest.
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On Wednesday, Covington Catholic High School student Nicholas Sandmann spoke out on “Today” about the viral video stand-off. Thursday, Nathan Phillips got his turn.Â
Anchor Savannah Guthrie was heavily scrutinized on social media after interviewing the 16-year-old junior, and she didn’t fare much better on Thursday, sparking outrage from some viewers who were – again – disappointed with her coverage.Â
More: Twitter rips Savannah Guthrie for ‘appalling’ interview with Nicholas Sandmann on ‘Today’
Phillips on Thursday said he stopped watching Guthrie’s interview with Sandmann, citing “insincerity” on the adolescent’s part. Â
Her interview with Phillips did not go over much better among some Twitter users, who suggested she wasn’t asking tough questions. Â
“I’m saddened after watching the interview with Nathan Phillips and Savannah. It was so soft and made him look the victim which is not the case,” one “Today” viewer wrote.Â
I’m sadden after watching the interview of Nathan Phillips and Savannah. It was so soft and made him look the victim which is not the case. Today show you just lost a long time devoted viewer. 😢
— Julie Acheson (@acheson_julie) January 24, 2019
Several watchers argued that Guthrie was more direct during her Wednesday segment with Sandmann.Â
“Savannah why don’t you treat Nathan Phillips as pointedly as you did the kid yesterday,” one user mused.Â
Another chimed in:Â “Savannah Guthrie should have went after (Phillips) like she did with Nick Sandmann.”
Nathan Phillips is one of the faces of what is wrong with the left. What the world has seen on the video vs. his side of the story are polar opposites. Savannah Guthrie should have went after him like she did with Nick Sandmann.
— Daniel Yates (@cHoPpEdStIcKs) January 24, 2019
Another fan took issue with the fact that the morning show was following the controversy at all: “As much as I love the Today show, I could not be more embarrassed for Savannah the network trying to make the Nathan Phillips confrontation a story.”Â
As much as I love the Today show, I could not be more embarrassed for Savannah the network for trying to make the Nathan Phillips confrontation a story. It was a frivolous piece that was beneath all of us. When did Savannah become Jerry Springer? Shameful blemish on her career.
— Brannon Wright (@wright___stuff) January 24, 2019
Others suggested her interview with Phillips did not balance out Wednesday’s chat with Sandmann.Â
“Just because you gave Nathan a chance to speak does not change the mess you made yesterday Savannah,” one viewer argued.Â
Just because you gave Nathan a chance to speak does not change the mess you made yesterday Savannah.
“I had a right to stand there …says it all…..— P.Salvati Norris (@NorrispPattie) January 24, 2019
On Wednesday, Guthrie and NBC’s morning program were knocked for giving Sandmann a platform and the fact that Guthrie, a white woman, interviewed him.
The Native American elder seen face-to-face with Covington Catholic High School students sparked national debate over the weekend.Â
Longer footage of the encounter emerged Sunday, showing a group of Black Hebrew Israelites harassing the students before Phillips intervened, raising questions about who initiated the Friday dust-up at the Indigenous Peoples March in Washington, D.C. Threats followed to the students and the school itself, prompting classes to be cancelled on Tuesday amid safety concerns.
Contributing:Â Ashley Shaffer
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, from left, gestures as he poses with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin, recording artist Meek Mill, Galaxy Digital CEO and founder Michael Novogratz, Brooklyn Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai, Third Point CEO and founder Daniel S. Loeb, and REFORM Alliance CEO and political activist Van Jones after the group announced a partnership to transform the American criminal justice system, Wednesday, in New York.