Megyn Kelly has fired back at Chris Cuomo from NewsNation after he accused her of using ‘click bait’ tactics in her coverage of Nancy Guthrie’s case.
Cuomo, 55, leveled his accusation via a post on X, following Kelly’s refusal to dismiss the possibility of a family member’s involvement in Guthrie’s alleged kidnapping. Nancy Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of Savannah Guthrie, a star of the Today show and Kelly’s former colleague.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos had previously addressed such suspicions on Monday, clarifying that the Guthrie family, including in-laws, had been “cleared as possible suspects.”
Despite the sheriff’s assurances, Kelly remains skeptical. Influenced by sources close to the investigation and a modified press release that stated the Guthrie family “has not been identified as suspects” instead of saying they were “cleared,” Kelly maintains her cautious stance.
Additionally, Kelly has raised concerns about a statement given to the Daily Mail by the sheriff, which suggested that “nobody” had been cleared in the ongoing investigation. Earlier, NewsNation’s Ashleigh Banfield had identified Nancy Guthrie’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, as a “prime suspect.”
Cuomo, who was previously dismissed from CNN following his involvement in his brother Andrew Cuomo’s scandal in 2021, criticized Kelly’s approach, saying, “It is shameful to play this story for click bait and hint that videos are fake and the family is in focus.”
‘[D]ont know if this is payback for nbc paying Kelly to gtfo but it is pretty obvious and ugly,’ he added – a nod to Kelly’s well-known $30 million payout, when she was forced to resign for remarks about blackface in 2019.
Cuomo expressed similar sentiments on NewsNation the night before, earning a response from Kelly on her show Tuesday that contained its own allegations – including that Cuomo had been ‘begging to [Kelly’s] lawyer to lay off of [him]’.
Megyn Kelly tore into NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on her show Tuesday over their disagreements regarding the Nancy Guthrie case
Cuomo accused Kelly of purposely sensationalizing her coverage to secure clicks
‘It didn’t work,’ Kelly, 55, said at one point during the lengthy retort.
The rest of their feud revolved heavily around different aspects of the case, as well as Cuomo’s ratings numbers.
‘Let me tell you what Fredo is really upset about,’ she began, using the unflattering nickname Cuomo has often been saddled with and the name of the weak brother of Michael Corleone in the classic Godfather movies.
‘Fredo No-Rate-O, that’s his real problem,’ Kelly continued.
‘Nobody watches his show on NewsNation, and I mean nobody. Nobody watches his failed podcast either.’
She went on to slam all of the former ABC News chief law correspondent’s TV and radio endeavors.
The Megyn Kelly Show, meanwhile, ‘is always one of the top three conservative podcasts in the nation,’ Kelly said. The show is consistently one of top rated right-leaning shows on Apple and gains more than 100million views monthly on YouTube.
‘So Fredo is upset, and Fredo is trying to play the protector of the Guthrie family. Meanwhile, there are a few in the news who have done more for the Guthrie family than this show,’ Kelly said.
Days before, Cuomo’s NewsNation colleague Ashleigh Banfield pegged Nancy’s son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni (pictured), as ‘a prime suspect.’ Police issued a statement exonerating the family – in-laws included – on Monday, though Kelly remains unconvinced
Nancy, seen here with her daughter Savannah, was last seen on January 31 after entering her home in Tucson, Arizona. There are no suspects in the search for her captor
‘We have covered this story extensively since it broke, because Fredo doesn’t understand, but I too am a news woman, like Savannah.
‘I too worked at the Today Show like Savannah Guthrie, I too have been the victim of a deranged stalker, which may be one of the possibilities here, something Fredo doesn’t realize we’ve covered extensively as well on this program,’ Kelly continued.
‘I, too, know Ashleigh Banfield extremely well, and she’s had extremely solid reporting for 20 years in the crime and other fields as well.
‘And so when she tells me she’s got a solid source, I take her very seriously.’
As for the purported conversation between Cuomo and Kelly’s lawyer, the conservative commentator elaborated: ‘Fredo actually called my lawyer, who he happened to use briefly on a legal matter, and begged the lawyer to get me to stop mentioning him.
‘He didn’t want me to attack him, because it hurt his little feelings.’
After touching on Cuomo’s defense of his disgraced brother, Kelly shamed him for not asking questions.
‘So this is what you’re going to have to deal with. Actual facts when you try to come for yours truly.’
Nancy was last seen on January 31 after entering her home in Tucson, Arizona.
Nearly three weeks later, law enforcement has failed to name a suspect.
The search for Nancy, as of writing, remains ongoing.
