Savannah Guthrie Denies Flipping Off Matt Lauer

Many Today Show viewers may have seen Savannah Guthrie flip off Matt Lauer during the above segment, but the anchor herself claims it was all one big optical illusion. She says she actually threw up an entirely different finger but because of the angle of the camera and how her hand was positioned, it seemed like she was shooting her colleague the bird.

Here’s what Savannah had to say about the incident she’s taken to calling “Fingergate” on Twitter…

When viewed from a distance, it’s easy to see why this story has gained so much traction. The Today Show has been a hot mess of problems for more than a year. At times, the drama has even played out on the screen. Thus, this whole possible middle finger thing plays right into all of those storylines.

That being said, this really does seem like a case where the context needs to be taken in. It’s obvious from the look on Savannah’s face that she’s annoyed as if her sibling just got the best of her, not as if someone just shot her dog. So, even if she did flip off Matt, which I think she may have, it was more of an impulse joke than a serious attempt to offend.

Unfortunately, even if there isn’t any controversy here, it doesn’t change the fact that Today needs to improve its ratings immediately or face another embarrassing change-up.