'Today Show' Co-Host Craig Melvin Offers Health Update as He, Al Roker Pulled off Air After Coronavirus Hits Show

Today show co-host Craig Melvin is 'feeling great' after he and Al Roker were temporarily pulled [...]

By Allison Schonter

Today show co-host Craig Melvin is "feeling great" after he and Al Roker were temporarily pulled off the air after a staffer on the 3rd Hour of Today tested positive for the coronavirus. After the duo's absence was heavily felt during Monday's show, sparking concern among fans, Melvin, 40, took to social media to provide a health update, assuring fans that he is doing fine.

Roker, too, has been keeping fans in the loop, telling them Monday evening that he is "feeling fine" and assuring fans not to "worry" about himself and Melvin. "Thinking about our colleagues and all those who are really suffering," the 65-year-old added. "And God Bless the health care providers and [First Responders] helping."

Later, Rooker confirmed that he is not showing any symptoms of COVID-19, explaining that he and his wife, ABC News journalist Deborah Roberts, are self-isolating.

Melvin and Roker's absence was addressed at the top of Monday morning's show by co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, who revealed to viewers that one of the staff members had tested positive for the virus.

"Personal note, for this show: Last night we learned that a colleague of ours on the third hour of Today has tested positive for COVID-19, the novel coronavirus," Guthrie explained. "So out of an abundance of caution, Craig and Al have taken the morning off, so we can trace their contacts, see what's going on with them. We promise to keep you posted. Both are fine right now. They feel good. But caution is the order of the day."

Kotb added that "we're just trying to play exactly by the rules" and that "we hope and wish that they come back soon."

The news had first been broken to NBC employees via a memo sent to them by NBC News president Noah Oppenheim, who explained that the staffer in question "is experiencing mild symptoms and receiving medical care."

As a result, NBC is "taking all necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of our teams, which includes multiple deep cleanings of our offices, control room and Studio 1A" and is "identifying employees who had been in close proximity to the affected employee and…are in the process of asking those who had close contact to self-isolate."

Meanwhile, Melvin and Roker's absence from the show has reportedly enacted a number of major changes, with a source telling Variety that the 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. hours of the show will air "previously aired content," as the other two co-hosts during those segments, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones, are both currently on leave.

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