Who Is Craig Melvin's Wife, Lindsay Czarniak? All About the Sportscaster's Relationship with the “Today” Host

Craig Melvin and Lindsay Czarniak became parents in 2014

NEED TO KNOW

• Craig Melvin met his wife, Lindsay Czarniak, in 2008
• The Today host and the sportscaster got engaged and married in 2011
• They share two kids, son Delano and daughter Sybil

Craig Melvin and his wife Lindsay Czarniak's love story dates back to 2008.

The Today host and the sportscaster met while working at the NBC affiliate WRC-TV in Washington, D.C. Now broadcasters for different networks, the couple got married in 2011 and went on to welcome two children: son Delano and daughter Sybil.

In February 2022, Czarniak spoke to PEOPLE about navigating their busy lives, saying, "We make it work and it's been very, very helpful to have someone who understands crazy hours."

When Melvin took on a new role at the Today show in January 2025, in which he began hosting alongside Savannah Guthrie amid Hoda Kotb's departure, his wife (and their kids!) showed their support with a surprise visit on his first day on the job.

"What makes me so proud is just the person that Melvin is," she said onstage. "And understanding that it's the kindness and how genuine he is … we're just excited and pumped."

So who is Craig Melvin's wife? Here's everything to know about Lindsay Czarniak and her relationship with the Today co-anchor.

She's a sports reporter

Czarniak is a FOX NFL and FOX NASCAR reporter for FOX Sports. According to her bio, she has been with the network since 2019.

"I really just love the opportunity to share what's going on, and talk about a game, and cover a game, but also let people understand the context behind it," she told PEOPLE.

Previously, she worked at ESPN from 2011 to 2017, anchoring SportsCenter, SportsNation and NASCAR Now. During her time there, she became the first woman to host the network's coverage of the Indianapolis 500 on ABC.

She now also hosts a podcast, known as Things No One Tells You with Lindsay Czarniak.

She has acted in films

Czarniak enjoys being on camera both as a journalist and an actress. Minoring in studio art during her time at James Madison University, Czarniak told Washington Life Magazine, "I love theater and one of my favorite things is going to movies and concerts. I could spend all day at a movie theater, especially if scary movies are playing."

She followed her passion and appeared in the 2000 action film Aquarius. A decade later, she appeared in the horror film Ghosts Don't Exist, playing the role of a news reporter. The latter also featured former Washington Commanders tight end Chris Cooley and won the DC Filmmaker Award at the 2010 DC Independent Film Festival.

They started off as friends and colleagues

According to The Washington Post, Czarniak, a sports journalist for WRC at the time, was away on assignment covering the 2008 Olympics in Beijing when Melvin joined the network as a news anchor. Upon returning, she introduced herself to her new colleague during a commercial break.

After becoming friends and casually hanging out for a few months, Melvin asked her out for drinks. Czarniak was reluctant to get into a relationship with a colleague but agreed to meet up.

"That night when we met, there was something that clicked. And it wasn't necessarily that I knew, 'I have to be with this guy.' But it was like, 'I don't want to be with anyone else that I'd hung out with,' " she told the newspaper. "It felt like being with the person that really gets you and that you've known for a really, really long time."

After keeping their relationship under wraps for a few months, the couple got engaged during a trip to Miami in 2011.

She married Melvin in 2011

On Oct. 15, 2011, Melvin and Czarniak wed at the Church of the Holy City in Washington, D.C. According to The Washington Post, many of the couple's colleagues from WRC, where they met, were in attendance.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds traveled via a vintage Bentley to the Hay-Adams Hotel for the reception. Adorned with orange roses, they celebrated with approximately 200 guests and were serenaded with music by Lee Anne Myslewski.

They've welcomed two children

Czarniak and Melvin welcomed their son Delano "Del" in March 2014 and daughter Sybil "Sibby" in November 2016.

Delano actually helped inspire his sister's name. The pair came up with the name "Sibby," short for sibling, for Delano to refer to his sister while Czarniak was pregnant. The parents ended up falling in love with the name and kept the moniker for their little girl.

The couple frequently posts about their children, including when they took them to the 2023 Super Bowl.

"The lasting image, for me, will be the confetti raining down and just watching my son be so happy and also my daughter just getting into it, because they're only at that age once, and so to have this kind of experience with them, it's just awesome," Czarniak told PEOPLE.

She has her husband stored in her phone under a different name

While appearing on a November 2021 episode of Today alongside her husband, Czarniak revealed that Melvin is listed in her phone under a different name: "Jake Milstein."

When Melvin first signed on with WRC in Washington, D.C., he received a company cell phone that had previously been used by a producer there, Jake Milstein.

"So when (Craig) called me, it came up in my phone, which was also a station phone, as Jake Milstein," she shared. "So when he calls me, it pops up as Jake Milstein, and it's become a thing where I see it, and it's him."

Melvin has remained under the alias in her phone for over a decade.

"You know how TV is, it's like sports, it's become a superstition, completely," she said.

She is cheering him on in his role as a Today co-anchor

Melvin began his hosting gig on Today in January 2025, and Czarniak and their children were in the studio, cheering him on.

Talking to PEOPLE about his new role at the time, Melvin said that while he was "nervous," he was also just as excited about the opportunity as he was about marrying his wife.

“I'm anxious but at the same time, it's the first time I've been this excited about anything outside the day I got married and the birth of my two children," he said. "I am beyond stoked.”

He went on to call marrying Czarniak the "best thing that's ever happened to me personally and professionally."

Melvin added, “She doesn't just get me as a person, as a husband — she understands the business."

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