Craig Melvin Is Taking Time Off After An Intruder Confronted Him At The Today Studio

Craig Melvin is on a family vacation this week, well-timed and well-deserved after a frightening incident at NBC's Studio 1A on July 16 that he was right in the middle of. An intruder identified as Andrew Truelove broke into the Today studios at approximately 9 AM, reportedly looking for Al Roker before confronting Melvin directly and yelling racial slurs at him.

He has since been charged with hate crime-burglary, hate crime-menacing, hate crime-criminal trespass and harassment. Melvin and Roker have both obtained legal protection against him.

Melvin addressed the incident on air the following day. "You may have heard that unfortunately an intruder made his way into an unauthorized area here at Studio 1A," he told viewers.

He was composed. The incident was serious. The show acknowledged it and moved on, but Melvin is now off the rest of the week with his family.

Filling his seat is Taylor Twellman, the former US Men's National Soccer Team player and current Apple TV MLS analyst, who is joining Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer on the Third Hour. Sheinelle Jones is covering the main Today hour alongside Savannah Guthrie.

Al Roker joked on air that "a secret cabal" had conspired to bring in Twellman. The real reason is that Melvin needed and deserved a break after an unsettling week.