Craig Melvin Biography
Craig Melvin is a well-known American broadcast journalist and anchor for NBC News and MSNBC. He’s been a familiar face on NBC’s Today franchise, stepping in as a news anchor from August 2018 until January 2025. He joined Today’s Third Hour as a co-host in October 2018, officially becoming a permanent part of the team in January 2019. By January 2025, he was named co-anchor for the first and second hours of Today, teaming up with Savannah Guthrie and taking over from Hoda Kotb. Melvin also fills in as a substitute anchor for NBC Nightly News.
Melvin’s journey in broadcasting started quite early. While he was still in high school, he got his start at NBC affiliate WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina, working as an “Our Generation Reporter” from 1995 to 1997. After finishing college, he returned to WIS-TV in July 2001 as a news photographer and producer, eventually becoming a reporter on the morning news team. He earned recognition for his “Craig Cam” live segments and was later promoted to anchor weekend morning and evening newscasts before moving on to weekday broadcasts. During his time at WIS-TV, Melvin also created several special reporting series that tackled issues like education, homelessness, and other community concerns.
In July 2008, Melvin made the leap to NBC-owned WRC-TV in Washington, D.C., where he anchored the weekend evening newscasts. Three years later, in July 2011, he transitioned to MSNBC as a daytime anchor while also contributing reports to NBC News.
At MSNBC, Melvin covered many of the country’s most important news stories. In 2012, he anchored the coverage of both the Republican and Democratic national conventions and co-anchored TV One’s Election Night coverage in collaboration with NBC News. His reporting portfolio includes major events like the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the Moore, Oklahoma tornado, the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash, the George Zimmerman trial, the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, the murder of Hannah Graham, the Charleston church shooting, the death of Freddie Gray, and the 2016 Dallas police shooting.
In 2017, Melvin hosted the true-crime series Dateline: Secrets Uncovered, which premiered on Oxygen. The following year, he reported from PyeongChang, South Korea, for NBC’s coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics. In September 2018, he was promoted to weekday news anchor on Today and became part of the original hosting team for Today’s Third Hour the next month.
Beyond daily news coverage, Melvin has hosted several major NBC specials, including co-hosting the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting broadcast in December 2020. In March 2022, he stepped away from his hour of MSNBC Reports to focus more fully on his role at Today.
On January 13, 2025, Melvin officially assumed his role as co-anchor of Today’s first two hours, marking a major milestone in his career and solidifying his place as one of NBC News’ leading anchors.
Craig Melvin Age
Melvin is 46 years old as of 2025. He was born Craig Delano Melvin on 20 May 1979 in Columbia, South Carolina, United States.
Craig Melvin Height
Melvin stands at a height of 5 feet 6 inches (1.70 m).
Craig Melvin Family/ Father/ Brother
Melvin is the son of Lawrence and Betty Melvin. Ryan Melvin, his younger brother, and Rev. Lawrence Meadows, his older half-brother, died of colon cancer on December 9, 2020, at the age of 43.
Craig Melvin Wife
On October 15, 2011, Melvin married Lindsay Czarniak, a former ESPN sports anchor and former WRC-TV sports reporter. They have a boy, Delano “Del,” who was born in March 2014, and a daughter, Sybil “Sibby,” who was born in November 2016.
Craig Melvin Education
He became the first African-American president of Key Club International in 1996. He graduated from Wofford College with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 2001. He is a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and has worked as a senior counselor for the Palmetto Boys State program in South Carolina.
Craig Melvin Salary
Melvin earns an annual salary of $3 Million.
Craig Melvin Net Worth
Melvin has an estimated net worth of $9 Million.
Craig Melvin Career
Melvin began his career at NBC station WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina, as a “Our Generation Reporter” from 1995 to 1997 while still in high school. Following college, he returned to WIS in July 2001 as a news photographer and producer before joining the station’s morning news team as a reporter and producer of his “Craig Cam” live pieces. He went on to become a news anchor for the weekend morning and evening newscasts before taking over the weekday newscasts. Melvin has made several programs for WIS-TV, including ones about education and the homeless in Columbia, among other topics. Melvin departed WIS-TV in July 2008 to join WRC-TV, NBC’s owned-and-operated station in Washington, D.C., where he hosted weekend evening newscasts.
Melvin left WRC-TV three years later, in July 2011, to join MSNBC as a daytime anchor, while still contributing as a reporter to NBC News. Melvin hosted MSNBC’s coverage of the Republican and Democratic national conventions, as well as TV One’s Election Night coverage, in cooperation with NBC News, in 2012. In December 2012, he covered the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre. In 2013, he covered the Moore tornado in May, the Asiana Airlines Flight 214 tragedy in June, and the George Zimmerman trial in July. Melvin covered the August killing of Michael Brown and the September murder of Hannah Graham in 2014.
He covered the Charleston church shooting in 2015, as well as Freddie Gray’s death in June. Melvin was one of the NBC correspondents covering the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in August 2016 and covered the mass shooting of Dallas police officers in July. He also succeeded José Daz-Balart as an anchor of MSNBC Live, which later became MSNBC Reports, in the same year.
Melvin reported from Pyeongchang County for NBC’s Winter Olympics coverage in February 2018. In September, he was promoted to weekday news anchor on Today, and in October, he joined the team of hosts for Today Third Hour. Melvin co-hosted NBC’s annual presentation of the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in December 2020. Melvin revealed in March 2022 that he will be quitting his hour on MSNBC Reports to focus on Today.
More of our content includes; Norah O’Donnell, Holly Williams, Janet Shamlian, John Dickerson
