{"id":2046459,"date":"2026-07-16T14:07:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2046459"},"modified":"2026-07-16T14:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T11:07:04","slug":"today-show-intruder-arrested-allegedly-hurled-racial-slur-lunged-at-craig-melvin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2046459","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;TODAY&#8217; Show Intruder Arrested, Allegedly Hurled Racial Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/b9\/16by9\/2026\/07\/16\/b9685eae74d54daf824074892db64e87_xl.png&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"article article--permalink \">\n<header class=\"article__header\">\n<h1 class=\"article__header--headline-title\">&#8216;TODAY&#8217; Show Intruder Arrested, Allegedly Hurled Racial Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article__header--headline-fragments\"><span class=\"article__header--hf1 text-uppercase h3\">&#8216;TODAY&#8217; Show<\/span><span class=\"article__header--hf2 text-uppercase h1\">Intruder Arrested &#8230; Allegedly Hurled Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin<\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"social-media-container\" role=\"region\">\n<ul class=\"social social--sm\">\n<li>\n<div class=\"media-swipe\">Exclusive<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\">\n<li class=\"social-item\"><\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tmz.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"js-track-link\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"google-preferred-btn\" src=\"https:\/\/static.tmz.com\/tmz-web\/img\/article\/google-preferred-source.png\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"byline\">By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/pages\/about\/\">TMZ Staff<\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"date-wrapper\">\n                                                                        Published <time class=\"published-datetime\" datetime=\"2026-07-16T07:07:04-07:00\"><br \/>\n                              July 16, 2026<br \/>\n                            7:07 AM PDT<\/time><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article__blocks clearfix\">\n<section id=\"cb-6721803534287293cb75f84f01c4a9e3\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  canvas-block-is-first \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_png_20260716_b9685eae74d54daf824074892db64e87\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:ad080f5f-933b-4302-be50-b06477646d93\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/b9\/4by3\/2026\/07\/16\/b9685eae74d54daf824074892db64e87_md.png\" alt=\"main craig melvin al roker getty\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-6943656727001154110ba279281daeb7\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>A terrifying security breach rocked the &#8220;TODAY&#8221; show Thursday morning &#8230; a stranger breached security and stormed inside the building from the plaza before allegedly lunging at NBC host <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/people\/craig-melvin\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>Craig Melvin<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-2387fea327e19ab8889a90ce5a7d1ea1\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>Law enforcement sources tell TMZ &#8230; the man was asking for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/people\/al-roker\/\" rel=\"noreferrer\"><strong>Al Roker<\/strong><\/a> after somehow slipping past security. We\u2019re told he couldn&#8217;t find Roker and turned his attention to confront Craig in a restricted area and allegedly lunged at him while yelling the N-word at him.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-56bb38728ae0ee4b0ca56b0ab8646599\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-image-block canvas-image-block-permalink canvas-image-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"image-block\"><a class=\"js-click-image js-track-link image-lightbox-preview\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:image-asset:image_jpg_20260716_4e9e57eb33bb4082950aa15f2ca481f4\" data-container-ref=\"tmz:article:ad080f5f-933b-4302-be50-b06477646d93\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;image&quot;}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"img-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/4e\/4by3\/2026\/07\/16\/4e9e57eb33bb4082950aa15f2ca481f4_md.jpg\" alt=\"craig melvin al roker and today show on set tmz 3\" width=\"728\" height=\"546\" class=\"img-fluid image-block__img-fluid img-aspect-auto\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"image-block__card-footer\"><span class=\"media-credit image-block__media-credit\">TMZ.com<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-f252d49a217e66c45891019aa687652a\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>We\u2019re told the incident happened around 9 AM ET and that staff and security rushed in &#8212; and the intruder was ultimately detained and arrested. He had made his way backstage &#8212; we&#8217;re told near the dressing room, though where exactly is unclear.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-2acf6c6bd95c9f5262c26e334d177a97\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>A photo taken inside the studio shows Craig surrounded by several people in the aftermath of the frightening encounter.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-1b4ce5b02e07dcad12216d69c91f4209\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-video-block canvas-video-block-permalink canvas-video-block--default  \">\n<div class=\"video-block\">\n<div class=\"ratio ratio-16x9\">\n<div id=\"video-player-8994f52c-e93c-4182-821e-753e78071b28-473392060-image-holder\" class=\"ratio ratio-item video-block__image-holder\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/ba\/16by9\/2026\/07\/16\/ba882b0a617b4267892cd8ea5691fcc7_md.png\" alt=\"071626 today show segment kal\" width=\"728\" height=\"410\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer id=\"video-player-8994f52c-e93c-4182-821e-753e78071b28-473392060-footer\" class=\"media-footer video-block__media-footer\"><span class=\"media-launch-text video-block__media-launch-text\">AFTER THE INCIDENT<\/span><\/footer>\n<div class=\"video-block__media-info\">\n<div class=\"video-block__media-permalink\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/watch\/today-show-segment-after-racial-incident-07-16-2026\/\">Video: Moment After Intruder Arrested at the &#8216;TODAY Show&#8217;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"media-credit video-block__media-credit\">NBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-d5d13a65c7dedd130cabfbbd2fc8755d\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>The incident was not captured during the broadcast. Nobody was hurt. Roughly 15 minutes after it all went down, both Craig and Al were on air, and neither hinted at the drama.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"cb-4ddfeef30fe588e0ecec7c82b5a2dd6e\" class=\"canvas-block canvas-block-permalink canvas-text-block canvas-text-block-permalink canvas-text-block--default  canvas-block-is-last \" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;permalink&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;text_block&quot;}\">\n<p>We&#8217;re told the incident has staff demanding answers about how an unauthorized stranger managed to trail one of the show\u2019s biggest stars off the publicly accessible plaza and get so deep inside the building undetected.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<ul class=\"social social--permalink\">\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><a class=\"btn social__btn social__btn--facebook js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/16\/today-show-intruder-arrested\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:ad080f5f-933b-4302-be50-b06477646d93\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;facebook-footer&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:1}\"><br \/>\n                Share<span class=\"social__hide-sm\"> on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><a class=\"btn social__btn social__btn--x js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/16\/today-show-intruder-arrested\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:ad080f5f-933b-4302-be50-b06477646d93\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;twitter-footer&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:2}\"><br \/>\n                Share<span class=\"social__hide-sm\"> on X<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--3items\"><\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"related-articles\">\n<header class=\"card-section-header related-articles__card-section-header\">\n<h3 class=\"card-section-title related-articles__card-section-title\">\n              Related articles<br \/>\n            <\/h3>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"row related-articles__row\">\n<div class=\"col related-articles__col\">\n<article class=\"related-articles__card\"><a class=\"related-articles__card-link js-track-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2026\/07\/09\/savannah-guthrie-on-vacation-from-today-show\/\" data-node-ref=\"tmz:article:ad080f5f-933b-4302-be50-b06477646d93\" data-context=\"{&quot;section&quot;:&quot;main&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;related-article&quot;,&quot;pos&quot;:1}\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-img ratio\">\n<div class=\"ratio-item\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/ff\/16by9\/2026\/07\/09\/ff35d31355d44e09baff0186a2022fb7_xs.jpg\" alt=\"main-savannah-guthrie-getty-1\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"img-fluid\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"related-articles__card-body\">\n<h4 class=\"related-articles__card-title\">\n                        Savannah Guthrie&#8217;s &#8216;Today&#8217; 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src=&#8221;https:\/\/imagez.tmz.com\/image\/b9\/16by9\/2026\/07\/16\/b9685eae74d54daf824074892db64e87_xl.png&#8221;] &#8216;TODAY&#8217; Show Intruder Arrested, Allegedly Hurled Racial Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin &#8216;TODAY&#8217; ShowIntruder Arrested &#8230; Allegedly Hurled Slur, Lunged at Craig Melvin Exclusive By TMZ Staff Published July 16, 2026 7:07 AM PDT Getty A terrifying security breach rocked the &#8220;TODAY&#8221; show Thursday morning &#8230; a stranger breached security and stormed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,77],"class_list":["post-2046459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-tmz-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2046459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2046459\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2046459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2046459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2046459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}