Craig Melvin co-anchors the NBC morning show alongside Savannah Guthrie, and he announced a vacation during the July 15 broadcast
Credit: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Craig Melvin will be absent from the Today show for over a week while on summer vacation
- The co-anchor previously announced his vacation plans on Wednesday, July 15, on the 3rd Hour of Today with Taylor Twellman filling in for him
- His absence is unrelated to news of a man being detained after breaking into the show’s studio on Thursday, July 16
Craig Melvin will be absent from the Today show next week, though the pre-planned time off is unrelated to the intruder incident that occurred Thursday, July 16.
The journalist, 47, co-hosts the first two hours of Today alongside Savannah Guthrie as well as the 3rd Hour of Today with Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer.
He broke the news of his upcoming absence while on the 3rd Hour of Today on Wednesday, July 15, when Roker announced that NBC’s lead MLS analyst and former U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team player Taylor Twellman will be filling in for Melvin.
That news came before a man was detained after breaking into the Today show’s studio in New York City on Thursday, July 16, around 9 a.m. A source told PEOPLE that the man made his way into the NBC studio at Rockefeller Plaza and confronted Melvin, yelling racial slurs. TMZ was first to report.
The intruder, who has not yet been named, also allegedly asked for Roker, 71. A law enforcement source confirmed to PEOPLE that the man was detained on Thursday at the studio. Reps for the Today show did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Credit: Howard Smith/ISI Photos/Getty
On the July 15 broadcast, Melvin said they’re “excited to have” Twellman fill in. He later clarified to his co-hosts about the absence that he’s “off all next week” and “some the week after.”
Also on Thursday, Guthrie announced that she’ll be temporarily stepping away from her co-anchor duties to film the Wordle game show. She’ll be off for the next “few” weeks to film the new project.
“We’re about to do it. Guys, I’m headed over to shoot Wordle over the next few weeks,” she said. “We’re going to shoot the whole season and we’re super excited.”
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Guthrie returned to the Today show in April after taking an extended leave of absence following Nancy’s Feb. 1 abduction from her Tucson, Ariz. home. The investigation is ongoing and no suspects have been named in the case.
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