NEW YORK — NBC’s “Today” show is tightening security inside its Rockefeller Center studios after an intruder allegedly confronted co-host Craig Melvin in a vestibule, shouted a racial slur and was later jailed on hate crime charges, according to a new report.
“We wanted to reach out with an important update regarding studio access for ‘Today’ interviews,” staffers wrote in an email to Hollywood public relations firms, an excerpt of which was first reported by Variety. “In light of the recent events last week, we are implementing stricter security protocols effective immediately.”
Under the updated rules, interview guests may bring no more than two accompanying people into the studio, whether they are stylists, publicists, social media staffers or other support personnel, the report said.
A man resembling the suspect in the racial attack on “Today” co-host Craig Melvin appears in the background of the show on the morning of the July 16, 2026, incident at Rockefeller Center in New York. (‘Today’/NBC)
“We’ll defer to you on who those two individuals should be, but there will be no exceptions or additional personnel permitted in the studio during the interview,” the message continued. Anyone beyond that limit will be required to wait in the green room rather than enter the studio.
The reported security changes follow the arrest of Andrew Truelove, a 41-year-old Virginia native who allegedly slipped in behind another person passing through a security gate into a restricted area of NBC’s Rockefeller Center studio. Police said Truelove was initially looking for Al Roker but encountered Melvin instead, allegedly yelling a racial slur at him shortly before 9 a.m.
The show said no one was physically injured. Still, the breach reportedly led to the dismissal of one security guard.
Andrew Truelove was arrested after allegedly entering NBC’s Rockefeller Center studios during a live broadcast of the “Today” show and shouting racist slurs at co-host Craig Melvin. Authorities initially said he was looking for Al Roker. Security personnel quickly intervened, and police took him into custody. (Kevin C. Downs/Redux)
“NBC and ‘Today’ take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously,” the show’s statement continued. “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.”
“Today” show clips from that morning show Truelove loitered outside the ground-floor studio’s window for at least a half-hour, appearing in multiple shots between 8:03 .m. and 8:34, when actress Anne Hathaway was on set to discuss her role in the latest adaption of “The Odyssey.”
The incident comes just six months after another “Today” co-host’s mother was the victim in a home invasion abduction from her house in Tucson. Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy remains unaccounted for, and no suspects have been publicly identified.
Craig Melvin at the live performance of Megan Moroney on the Today Plaza as part of the Citi Concert Series on NBC’s Today Show on July 10, 2026 in New York City. (Dinara Khairova/Sipa USA)
Truelove, the man accused of hate crime burglary and menacing in the Melvin attack, had felony convictions in his home state and more than a dozen pending charges in New York before the incident. He is currently being held at a New York City jail on $10,000 bail.
Truelove pleaded not guilty at his arraignment last week and his lawyers waived an appearance at a follow-up hearing Wednesday. He’s due back in court on Aug. 5.
In October 2007, Truelove was accused of trying to abduct an 8-year-old from a school in Norfolk, Virginia. He was convicted at trial and sentenced to 10 years in prison, of which six were suspended, followed by 10 years on probation, court records show.
A psychiatrist testified he had symptoms of bipolar disorder and had stopped taking medications before the incident because they made him gain weight, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
Other charges in Virginia included trespassing, making bomb threats, destruction of property and repeated probation violations.
In 2014, he was arrested on charges of stealing signs from memorials dedicated to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims.
And in 2023, after getting off of probation, he left Virginia for Southern California, where he was profiled in the Los Angeles Times in a lengthy story on his battle with homelessness.
