Allison Janney wins the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Award for "The Diplomat" at the 78th Emmy Awards held at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images Following her latest Emmy win (for best supporting actress in a drama as President Grace Penn on Netflix series The Diplomat), Allison Janney was complimented by a reporter backstage for the compassion she demonstrated following Nancy Guthrie‘s kidnapping earlier this year.
Guthrie, the mother of Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, was taken from her Tucson, Arizona home in the early morning hours of Feb. 1. She has not been seen or heard from since and is presumed dead.
“I honestly can say, I think about [Nancy] every day and think about the loss and what Savannah and her family are going through,” Janney, who returns for Diplomat season four, responded. “It truly took over — and I don’t think I’m alone, too. I think all of America was thinking about her.”
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On Tuesday, Today‘s Willie Geist, seated next to Savannah Guthrie at the NBC morning show’s desk, called it a “beautiful expression of sympathy.
“I was so touched to see her do that,” Guthrie said. “It’s her moment of her triumph, and for her to just… take a moment and think about our family. I never let a moment pass if I get one to talk about my mom and how much we miss her and love her. My whole family — my sister and my brother and I and all of our extended families — are in such pain and we just need help.”
Geist then took a moment to reiterate how the public can share tips about the crime.
“So thank you, Allison Janney, for remembering us and for giving me an opportunity for me to renew that call,” she continued. “We just want our mom home to give her a proper goodbye.”
The 2026 Emmy Awards aired live last night on NBC until about 11 p.m. ET. The Today show took over the same airwaves at its usual 7 a.m. ET start time.
Savannah Guthrie (right) with mother Nancy Guthrie in 2015. Don Arnold/WireImage The day after Nancy was kidnapped, a local news station received a ransom note addressing Savannah directly and stating that her 84-year-old mother was “alive but scared.” A second note, received days later, said Nancy had died.
The second note reads, in full: “Guthrie Family, We did not fully grasp the seriousness of her physical condition. We never intended to hurt her, that was not our intention. She perished shortly after she was taken. We believe it was heart related. She is buried in nature now. Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome. We want your family to know this and hope you can all find peace. We are truly sorry.”
Nancy Guthrie had a heart condition. Her medicine(s) were left behind. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI remain on the case, though no suspect has ever been identified.
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