Craig Melvin missed the Monday, July 20, broadcast of the Today show following a horrific incident with a criminal on set.
Savannah Guthrie began the program on Monday with Shenelle Jones by his side, noting that Melvin, 47, “had a little family vacation.” The women also replayed the 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina before moving on to the headlines of the day.
Melvin’s absence comes less than a week after the man breached security Today New York City show studio on Thursday, July 16. The robber – later identified as Andrew Truelove – reportedly wanted Al Roker at first before finding Melvin, approaching him and shouting racial slurs.
“There was a security incident this morning at the Today Show studio. One person entered an unauthorized area on the balcony near Studio 1A,” NBC’s statement read on Thursday. “This person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who notified security. The suspect was arrested and taken into custody by law enforcement without incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured.”
The statement continued, “TODAY is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate this matter. NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests very seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security policies and are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works and visits our studios.”
Craig Melvin
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for the National Board of ReviewUs confirmed that Melvin and Roker, 71, were given a restraining order against Truelove, 41, who is facing multiple charges. Many stores also reported that the security guard was fired after the incident.
Melvin broke his silence on the situation in a short message he posted on social media on Thursday, writing, “Hello everyone.
On the Friday, July 17, broadcast, she shared an additional update and assured viewers that she is “safe and well.”
“You may have heard that unfortunately a criminal entered an unauthorized area here in Studio 1A,” said Melvin. “I’m thankful that he was caught quickly [and] you are under arrest.”
He added, “We are cooperating fully with the NYPD as they investigate this matter and we are very happy that everyone is safe.”
Roker, meanwhile, released his own statement on social media shortly before Friday’s episode.
“Thank you so much to everyone who reached out in the last 24 hours to check on my brother, @craigmelvinnbc … It’s moments like these that help bring us together,” he wrote. “All of you, like Craig, say ‘You follow one of us, we follow all of us.’ We’ll talk about it this morning on the @todayshow.”
