What Happened to Craig Melvin? The Real Reason Why the Host Was Missing From ‘Today’

Longtime viewers of Today have gotten used to seeing Craig Melvin in action during the show’s third hour since 2018. However, fans grew concerned after the broadcaster was missing from the program for a few days with no explanation. Keep scrolling to find out what really happened to Craig. 

What Happened to Craig Melvin? 

On Thursday, October 27, Craig was absent from Today. Viewers were not given reasoning about why he was not sitting at the news desk that morning. Instead, Sheinelle Jones, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb took over the news desk, dishing out headlines to the NBC crowd. The following day, the Dateline anchor still did not return to the daytime series. After growing concerns from fans, Craig finally addressed the reason behind his absence from Today on social media on Friday, October 28.

“Got my book and my java. Ready for some civic responsibility. Jury duty here we come,” he captioned a photo on Twitter. 

Craig shared the same photo of his coffee and book on Instagram with the caption, “You say Fri-yay! I say jury duty. Ready to serve or maybe sent home before lunch??”

In the comments section on both posts, fans were happy to finally get answers about why NBC’s leading man hasn’t been on the program.

“My family has really been missing you this week!” one comment read. “Glad to finally be informed of the cause of your absence.”

This isn’t the first time Craig missed shows in October 2022. On Monday, October 17, and Tuesday, October 18, the newscaster was once again replaced by Sheinelle at the main desk. The Wofford College graduate did pose for a photo on his wife Lindsay Czarniak’s Instagram account that week, enjoying their adventures in Newport, Rhode Island, for a quick getaway. 

Is Craig Melvin Leaving ‘Today’?

While Craig has not announced any plans to leave Today, he did make one huge career announcement in March 2022. The journalist left his 11 a.m. weekday morning slot at MSNBC to focus more on his duties at NBC News and Today. 

"I’m so very thankful for the opportunity to really have had a front-row seat to so much history: tumultuous campaigns, elections, natural disasters, far too many mass shootings and of course, a global pandemic," he said during his last appearance on MSNBC. "So many of the stories I’ve covered here, and the people that I’ve met on assignments, have moved me in myriad ways – some days sad, angry, confused, but always hopeful."

In addition to focusing on his hosting role on Today, Craig is a dedicated dad of two kids, Delano and Sybil. The proud parent missed an episode of the show back in August 2022 for the sweetest reason — sending his little ones off to their first day of school. 

​​“You would be hard-pressed to find anyone more excited about going to kindergarten than Sibby Melvin yesterday,” he gushed during a segment days later. “She was ready.”