An intruder has been taken into custody after breaking into the “Today” show’s studio Thursday in New York City and reportedly yelling racial slurs at co-host Craig Melvin.
The man in question allegedly slipped past “Today” security around 9 a.m. ET and went on to ask for longtime “Today” show weatherman Al Roker. Both Roker and Melvin ultimately continued with the show’s live broadcast after the dust settled.
“It was reported to officers that there was a disorderly person inside 30 Rockefeller Center, within the confines of the Midtown North Precinct,” the NYPD said in a statement. “Officers responded and placed an unidentified individual into custody. There were no injuries reported. The investigation remains ongoing.”
Law enforcement officials were notified of the break-in at approximately 9:19 a.m. ET on Thursday. TMZ was the first to report news of the incident.
TheWrap has reached out to NBC News for further comment.
The incident comes in the midst of what has been a difficult year for the “Today” show and its hosts. On Feb. 1, Nancy Guthrie, the mother of “Today” show co-host Savannah Guthrie, was reported missing from her home in Tuscon, Arizona. Her suspected kidnapping resulted in Guthrie taking a two-month break from her “Today” show hosting duties, which ended when she made her emotional return to the NBC morning program on April 6.
On Thursday, the same day that the “Today” show break-in occurred, Guthrie announced she would once again be stepping away briefly from the NBC series. She revealed to viewers Thursday morning that she will be absent from the “Today” show for a few weeks while she films a new, Jimmy Fallon-produced Wordle-themed game show that she has been tapped to host.
“I’m headed over to shoot ‘Wordle’ over the next few weeks,” Guthrie said. “I can’t wait for everyone to see it. It’ll probably air, I think, in the new year.”
