An intruder was reportedly arrested after lunging and screaming a racial slur at “Today” co-host Craig Melvin on Thursday morning.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the man slipped past security at the NBC show’s New York City headquarters and asked for Al Roker, whom he couldn’t find.
The intruder then went after Melvin, 47, in a restricted area near the dressing room, where he lunged and yelled the n-word at the journalist.
After staff and security rushed in, the man was detained and arrested.
TMZ reported that a photo taken inside the studio shows Melvin surrounded by people following the incident.
The encounter did not happen on air, the outlet noted, and nobody was hurt.
Both Melvin and Roker, 71, reportedly went on the air about 15 minutes afterwards and didn’t hint at the situation.
The show’s staff, per TMZ, “has demanding answers” about how the intruder got inside the building undetected.
Page Six has reached out to “Today” and Melvin’s reps for comments.
Melvin has been on “Today” since 2018.
In January 2025, he replaced Hoda Kotb as Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor on the show’s first two hours.
“You were made for this job,” Kotb told Melvin when the news was announced in November 2024.
“You have all the things that this job needs,” Kotb added. “You’re the right person for it.
During Thursday’s broadcast, Savannah, 54, announced she’s off “Today” for the next few weeks to shoot the upcoming Wordle gameshow that Jimmy Fallon is producing.
Guthrie took a hiatus from the morning news program earlier this year following her mom Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
Nancy, 84, was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona home on January 31. Authorities are continuing to investigate her apparent kidnapping.
Guthrie’s “Today” family, including Melvin, have supported Savannah
This story is developing…
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