Craig Melvin missed out on the Monday, July 20, broadcast of the Today show following a frightening incident with an intruder on set.
Savannah Guthrie kicked off the show on Monday with Sheinelle Jones by her side, noting that Melvin, 47, had “a little family vacation.” The women recapped the exciting 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina before diving into the top news stories of the day.
Melvin’s absence comes less than one week after a man breached security at the Today show’s New York City studio on Thursday, July 16. The intruder — later identified as Andrew Truelove — was reportedly looking for Al Roker at first before finding Melvin, lunging toward him and shouting a racial slur.
“There was a security incident this morning at the TODAY show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A,” read a statement from NBC on Thursday. “The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security. The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured.”
The statement continued, “TODAY is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate the matter. NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios.”
Us confirmed that Melvin and Roker, 71, were granted a restraining order against Truelove, 41, who is facing multiple charges. Several outlets further reported that a security guard was fired in the wake of the incident.
Melvin broke his silence on the situation in a brief message shared via social media on Thursday, writing, “Hey everyone. I’ve heard from so many of you over the last few hours. I’m doing just fine. Thanks for reaching out. I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning on @todayshow.”
During the Friday, July 17, broadcast, he shared an additional update and assured viewers that he was “safe and sound.”
“You may have heard that unfortunately an intruder made his way into an unauthorized area here at Studio 1A,” Melvin said. “Thankfully he was apprehended quickly [and] he was placed under arrest.”
He added, “We are cooperating fully with the NYPD as they investigate the matter and we are just very happy that everyone is safe.”
Roker, for his part, issued his own social media statement shortly before Friday’s episode.
“A really heartfelt thank you to all who reached out over the last 24 hours to check in on my brother, @craigmelvinnbc … It’s moments like these that serve to pull us together,” he wrote. “You all, like Craig, said ‘You come after one of us, you come after all of us.’ We’ll talk about it this morning on @todayshow.”
