‘Today’ Viewers Outraged Over Savannah Guthrie And Hoda Kotb’s ‘Insensitive’ Interview With School Shooting Survivor
As the United States of America mourns the latest shooting that has affected the nation, which has left over 17 people dead, stories from survivors about the tragic incident now surface.
An interview with one of the survivors by Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb for the Today show, however, was another story in itself.
Interview With A Survivor
While both Guthrie and Kotb were half a world away participating in NBC's coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the duo was able to insert themselves into the ongoing coverage of the shooting incident that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 14.
The Today anchors expressed their heartfelt sorrow to 17-year-old Samantha Grady, who survived the shooting. Guthrie described that Grady was grazed by bullets during the shooting as she introduced the survivor to the audience.
Guthrie immediately asked Grady about what happened to her best friend who was with her inside one of the classrooms.
"Unfortunately, she did not make it," said Grady to the co-hosts.
The student fought back her tears as Kotb asked if she was okay, and Grady went on sharing her story. Grady recalled hearing the two shots while inside her classroom, and she stated that her classmates huddled around the classroom's bookcase.
She also said that there were two people shot in the hallway and added that the suspected assassin, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, targeted their classroom next. Grady noted that Cruz's bullets hit the classroom door's glass. She said she used a book to cover her face at her friend's suggestion.
Both Guthrie and Kotb praised Grady's bravery throughout the whole ordeal and commended how her family came together to discuss the nightmare that Grady experienced.
Twitter Is Angry
The Today fan base rushed to Twitter, however, and expressed their outrage that the show decided to air this interview.
"Putting this 17-year-old whose best friend was killed in front of her less than 24 hours ago is absolutely heartless on the part of the Today show. Very disappointed," wrote one Twitter user.
"Shameful way to capitalize on this girl's grief," added another Twitter user.
Other fans also blamed the anchors and producers on writing insensitive questions that Grady had to answer, including the question that was asked regarding her best friend's fate.
"It was insulting to ask that question. And the poor girl said yes and then began to cry because obviously, she's not ok," wrote another Twitter user.
"Wow, how totally insensitive of these two ladies!! They didn't know this girl's friend passed or were they going for ratings??? Should be ashamed," wrote another Twitter user.
Coming Together In Crisis
While there were a few viewers who thought the interview with Samantha Grady was in poor taste, they have rallied around several celebrities who then reached out to offer their reflections on the tragedy, including Ellen DeGeneres and Bette Midler. They also called for stricter gun control policies.
The massive celebrity support wave also hit New York City following the aftermath of the Oct. 31, 2017 terrorist attack.
Celebrities also responded to the tragic Oct. 1, 2017 Las Vegas shooting, where over 50 people were murdered and over 200 people were injured.
Enstars reached out to NBC News for a statement.
