Megyn Kelly blasts Chris Cuomo's coverage of the Guthrie case

Megyn Kelly has taken aim at NewsNation's Chris Cuomo for accusing her of engaging in 'click bait' with her Nancy Guthrie coverage. Cuomo, 55, made the allegation on X Tuesday after Kelly refused to rule out that one of Guthrie's relatives was involved in the suspected kidnapping. Nancy Guthrie is the 84-year-old mother of Today star Savannah Guthrie, Kelly's former colleague. Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos decried those who harbor such a belief on Monday, saying the Guthries - in-laws included - have all been 'cleared as possible suspects'. Kelly, however, remains wary - swayed by sources close to the case and a tweaked Tuesday press release that stated 'the Guthrie family has not been identified as suspects' rather than 'cleared,' she's said.

A quote provided to the Daily Mail Sunday from the sheriff himself has also been singled out by Kelly as concerning. It said 'nobody' had been cleared in the case. Days before, NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield pegged Nancy's son-in-law, Tommaso Cioni, as 'a prime suspect.' Cuomo - a former CNN star who was fired for wading into his brother Andrew Cuomo's sex scandal in 2021 - wrote in reaction: '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]'. '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. '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.