Each Wednesday, millions of people wind down by watching a group of castaways try to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other on CBS’s “Survivor.” But when “Survivor” host Jeff Probst has free time of his own, he’s watching a different kind of unscripted entertainment.
“If I have 15 minutes, my go-to is going to be a police interrogation, almost always,” Probst told me of his daily routine while filming the show’s landmark fiftieth season.
The host said he’ll watch real interrogation videos on YouTube because he loves studying how detectives work.
“You are watching a human walk into a room wondering, how much do these detectives know? What they don’t know is in most cases, the detective knows a lot more than you think, but they want to see what you’re willing to share,” Probst explained.
“Then you watch a great detective or a team of detectives slowly build this box, and the box gets smaller and smaller and the guilty person starts to realize, ‘I’m never going home. They know what I did,'” Probst continued.
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“I love those subtle shifts in power dynamics — watching how people respond, what tells they have, and how they give away their truth.”
“Survivor 50” castaways at Tribal Council.
Robert Voets/CBS
After spending 26 years and counting holding court at Tribal Council, Probst has plenty of experience being the interrogator.
Probst said his coworkers can tell when he’s getting in “the zone,” preparing to draw conflict and moving anecdotes out of the castaways at Tribal Council.
“All I’m really thinking about is just reminding myself, ‘These 13 people are still in the game. They voted out seven people; they’re tired, they’re hungry,'” he told Business Insider of his mindset.
Being fully present allows Probst to think on his feet while engaging with the castaways.
“I actively choose to be in the moment,” Probst said, launching into an example.
“I see that you’re sad. I could tell when you walked in, your body language, you’re hunched over. The question is, am I going to bring it up? Are you going to bring it up? Is somebody else going to bring it up? Are we going to talk about it or not? I don’t know. Let’s find out!”
Stephen Colbert said CBS pulled a Democratic lawmaker’s interview from “The Late Show” over concerns about federal regulations. So, he posted it on YouTube instead.
The dispute marks the latest flash point in a growing tension between late-night hosts, broadcast networks, and the Federal Communications Commission.
James Talarico, a Democratic Texas state representative running for a highly competitive US Senate seat, was scheduled to appear on “The Late Show” on Monday night.
Colbert told viewers during his monologue that network lawyers intervened.
“He was supposed to be here,” Colbert said Monday night. “But we were told in no uncertain terms by our network’s lawyers, who called us directly, that we could not have him on the broadcast.”
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Colbert said he was also told not to acknowledge the decision on air.
“Then I was told, in some uncertain terms, that not only could I not have him on, I could not mention me not having him on,” he said. “And because my network clearly doesn’t want us to talk about this, let’s talk about this.”
CBS said in a statement that it did not prohibit “The Late Show” from broadcasting the interview. It said it gave the show legal guidance.
While CBS didn’t air the interview on TV, the show uploaded it overnight to its YouTube page.By midday Tuesday, the video had racked up more than 2 million views — significantly more than other recent guest interviews, which had largely drawn between about 75,000 and 510,000 views on YouTube.
The last guest to surpass 1 million views was Bad Bunny, who appeared on “The Late Show”ahead of his Super Bowl halftime performance.
A spotlight on the FCC’s ‘equal time’ rule
Jimmy Kimmel was briefly suspended after FCC chair Brendan Carr called out the comedian’s political jokes.
: Todd Owyoung/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Colbert said the network’s concerns stemmed from the FCC’s so-called “equal time” rule, which requires broadcast stations to provide equivalent opportunities to legally qualified political candidates.
“It’s the FCC’s most time-honored rule, right after ‘No nipples at the Super Bowl,'” Colbert said on Monday night’s television-aired monologue.
The rule applies to over-the-air television and radio broadcasters, but not to cable channels or online platforms — meaning CBS’s broadcast would fall under its purview, while YouTube would not.
He said most late-night talk shows — including his own — typically qualify for what’s known as the “bona fide news exemption.”
That carve-out is designed to give news and public affairs programs flexibility to respond to events without having to book opposing candidates for balance.
Colbert has hosted several Democratic and independent lawmakers this year, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
In recent months, the FCC has stepped up scrutiny of broadcast networks.
On January 21, the FCC’s Media Bureau published a letter that said it had “not been presented with any evidence” that any current late-night or daytime talk show qualifies for the “bona fide news exemption.”
Colbert said that the letter is part of what worried CBS’s lawyers.
CBS said in its statement that, “The show was provided legal guidance that the broadcast could trigger the FCC equal-time rule for two other candidates, including Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and presented options for how the equal time for other candidates could be fulfilled.” It said the show decided to publish the interview through its YouTube channel instead.
Last week, the FCC opened a probe into Disney-owned ABC after “The View” hosted Talarico.
In the YouTube interview, Talarico said the regulatory scrutiny was politically motivated.
“I think that Donald Trump is worried that we’re about to flip Texas,” Talarico told Colbert. “This is the party that ran against cancel culture, and now they’re trying to control what we watch, what we say, what we read.”
Talarico is locked in a competitive Democratic primary for the Senate seat against Rep. Jasmine Crockett. The winner is expected to face a Republican nominee that could include incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, former Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, or Rep. Wesley Hunt.
The open Senate seatis set to be decided during this year’s mid-term elections.
A broader strain between CBS and its staff
Monday’s standoff adds to an already complicated period for Colbert and his network.
In July, CBS said “The Late Show” would be canceled in May 2026, a move that was “purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night.”
It came after Colbert criticized CBS’s decision to settle a $16 million class-action lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over its editing of a “60 Minutes” interview with his then-presidential opponent, Kamala Harris.
Some lawmakers raised concerns about CBS’s decision, questioning whether it was political.
CBS is owned by Paramount, which was acquired in August by David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
The network has faced other turbulence in recent months. Recently installed CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss was criticized for her December decision to delay a “60 Minutes” segment on the Trump administration’s use of jails in El Salvador. And, on Monday night, Anderson Cooper said he would be leaving “60 Minutes” after 20 years on the show.
The FCC and representatives for Colbert did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, the mother of beloved “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, has been missing since Sunday, and authorities are investigating her disappearance as a crime.
Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said that based on the scene at her Tucson, Arizona, home, he believes Nancy was “taken from her home against her will” and is treating this as a “possible kidnapping or abduction” case.
“Just call us. Let her go. Just call us. The family will tell you, there’s no questions asked here,” Nanos told NBC News.
Here’s what to know.
Who is Nancy Guthrie?
Nancy Guthrie is the mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie.
She has appeared on “Today” numerous times, including when Savannah called her on air in 2012 to wish her a happy 70th birthday. In 2022, for her 80th birthday, Savannah paid tribute to her mom on the show, calling her “a truth teller, whether you really want to hear the truth or not. She’s quick and she’s smart, she’s well-read, she’s curious about everything.”
Nancy was last seen at her home outside of Tucson, Arizona, on the evening of January 31 after her family dropped her off there. She lives alone but has house staff.
The next day, Sunday, February 1, a friend called the family concerned when Nancy wasn’t present for Sunday service at her church.
After an hour of searching the home and property, the family called 911. Authorities say her cell phone and car were left behind. She has limited mobility and requires daily medication that can be fatal if not received within 24 hours.
What do police think happened to her?
Authorities said they don’t know if Nancy Guthrie was targeted because of her famous daughter and are not aware of any threats to Savannah Guthrie.
Along with investigating what Nanos described as “hundreds of leads,” authorities have been searching for Nancy using drones, a helicopter, an airplane, search-and-rescue dogs, and volunteers. Nanos said on February 3 that possible DNA evidence had been found at the scene, though it could take several days to learn anything conclusive.
ABC News reported that investigators are focusing on Nancy’s electronic devices to see if there is data that could point to an assailant or a specific time when the abduction occurred.
What has Savannah Guthrie said?
Savannah Guthrie has been an anchor on NBC’s morning show “Today” since 2012.
Born in Australia, she and her family moved to Tucson when she was young. She joined NBC in 2007, and in her time there before “Today,” she was a White House correspondent and anchored “NBC Nightly News.”
Savannah has not appeared on “Today” since her mother’s disappearance.
On Tuesday, she posted an image on her Instagram that read “Please Pray” with the following caption:
we believe in prayer. we believe in voices raised in unison, in love, in hope. we believe in goodness. we believe in humanity. above all, we believe in Him.
thank you for lifting your prayers with ours for our beloved mom, our dearest Nancy, a woman of deep conviction, a good and faithful servant. raise your prayers with us and believe with us that she will be lifted by them in this very moment.
we need you.
“He will keep in perfect peace those whose hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” a verse of Isaiah for all time for all of us.
Bring her home.
Guthrie is part of NBC’s lineup to cover the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy; it’s so far unclear if she will still attend.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lauren Brusie, mom of seven. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Last year, my 87-year-old grandmother, Doris, and 90-year-old grandfather, Jerry, hosted nine of their 14 great-grandchildren for a Christmas sleepover at their house. It’s an annual tradition they started several years ago that involves a night of eating cookies and ice cream, kids playing, boys wrestling, and movie watching, all culminating in Doris and Jerry waking up bright and early the very next day to cook breakfast for everyone, smiling and chipper as ever.
As their 34-year-old granddaughter, I’m not sure how they have the energy they do.
They are the most joyful, generous, busy, and amazing people I know, and they have been a constant presence in my life. They were always there. For all six of us grandchildren, for every game, every school event, they were there. We spent our weekends with them, holidays with them, and summers at their cabin.
They’ve definitely helped shape my cousins and me, and they continue to maintain that loving presence and involvement with all their great-grandchildren, including my seven children.
My grandparents have been there for my kids since day one
Just like I can’t remember a day in my own life without my grandparents in it, neither do my kids. They were waiting outside the door for their first great-grandchild, my daughter, to be born, and they’ve been there for everything, just like they were for me.
We even lived next door to them for a few years, and we spent every day with them. They are two of the people my kids are most comfortable with, and because of that, they are often our first choice for babysitters on a quick errand. The kids just love to be with them.
We have since moved, but they still stop by at least once a week, call the kids, attend their sporting events, and even help me with running them to and from practice or school.
One of their most beloved traditions is taking out each great-grandchild for a birthday lunch/shopping trip to spend one-on-one time with them. They had a rule that the child needed to be 4 years old, but they have bent it twice now for two of my younger children, taking them on their third birthdays because they were just so excited about it.
Both of my grandparents are in great health, and while some of their longevity and energy is probably genetic, I think their overall joy and love of people has kept them going. They always have something going on with others, whether it’s hanging out with their camping club, golf leagues, bowling leagues, card nights, casino trips, or following us kids around. They’ve always just worked hard and enjoyed life.
They are the biggest blessing in our lives
I’m not sure how to put into words what our relationship with my grandparents means. I’m aware of how unique this is, and I’ve never taken a moment with them for granted. I don’t think my kids will understand it all until they’re older, so for now, I just try to take as many pictures as I can so they’ll know how truly blessed and loved they were by these amazing people.
As life has gotten busier and the kids have gotten older, we make it a priority to continue our relationship with my grandparents. For instance, we’ll stop in to visit, and we try to do malt nights on the weekends with them, just like I did as a kid.
I also try to make them my first call if I do need help with the kids. It gives them purpose, and it really does help me too!
I don’t know anyone who has great-grandparents so involved in their family’s lives
When I try to think of anyone who, like my kids, has not just their grandparents, but their great-grandparents so actively involved, it’s not even a close comparison. And it’s not just my kids — Doris and Jerry still travel all over the state to attend events and visit my cousins and their kids, too. I know my cousins feel the exact same way I do about our grandparents: they are the most incredible people we know, and we’re so lucky to have them.
I am not sure I even appreciated how amazing they were when I was a kid. It took me having my own kids to realize that the relationship I had with them wasn’t necessarily normal either. They are truly one of a kind.
There is so much that inspires me about my grandparents, like their joy and how they’ve dealt with all the ups and downs of life. And let’s be honest: I’d love to have their energy too, but I’ll never count on that!
My grandparents are also so humble about their involvement. Doris simply says that the reason they spend so much time with all of us is because they love us, so why wouldn’t they want to be with us?
Both of them attribute their energy and longevity to being “lucky” and hope that all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren will remember that they were good to them and loved them. I’d say mission accomplished!
