A man has been detained after an alarming confrontation at the Today show studio.
On Thursday morning, an intruder slipped past security at NBC at Rockefeller Plaza and confronted the morning show’s co-host, Craig Melvin, the NYPD told TMZ.
After first asking for longtime Today host Al Roker, the man allegedly lunged at Melvin and yelled a racial slur as he followed him into a restricted area at around 9 a.m. Eastern, according to police.
Staff and security workers at the studio then rushed in and detained the man, who has not yet been publicly identified.
No one was hurt in the altercation, NYPD confirmed. The incident was not captured during the show’s broadcast, and the hosts returned to the air shortly afterward.
“It was reported to officers that there was a disorderly person inside 30 Rockefeller Center, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct,” a police spokesperson told The Independent in a statement. “Officers responded and placed an unidentified individual into custody.”
NBC said in a statement shared with The Independent: “An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. 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.”
Melvin, who was named a co-anchor of Today in 2018, has not commented on the security scare, and reposted an Instagram Story shortly after the incident that showed him posing with The Odyssey actors Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland.
The NBC staple replaced Hoda Kotb as Savannah Guthrie’s co-anchor in the show’s first two hours in January 2025.
Thursday’s intrusion came after Guthrie announced on air that she will be taking several weeks off of the morning show to film her new Wordle game show, which is executive produced by Jimmy Fallon.
“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.”
“I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It’ll probably air, I think, in the new year.”
Guthrie’s new career move comes more than five months after the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, who police say was abducted from her Tucson, Arizona home in the middle of the night February 1.
Nancy has not returned, and no suspect has been identified in the case. Guthrie, who immediately left the show to help in the search for her mom, returned to Today in April after two months away from the anchor desk.
