The “Today” show has issued new security guidelines for its on-air guests following a recent incident in which an intruder entered the studio and lunged at co-anchor Craig Melvin while yelling a racist slur.
Hollywood publicity firms received an email on Wednesday outlining the new protocols.
“We wanted to reach out with an important update regarding studio access for ‘Today’ interviews,” the email read, in part. “In light of the recent events last week, we are implementing stricter security protocols effective immediately.
Moving forward, there will be a maximum of two (2) people in the studio per guest. This includes anyone accompanying the guest – PR representatives, hair/makeup, social media, photographers, stylists, studio representatives, or any other support personnel. 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.”
In July 16, a man bypassed security at the “Today” show set at 30 Rockefeller Center and was arrested after he lunged at Melvin and shouted the N-word at the co-anchor.
Citing law enforcement sources, TMZ reported that the intruder was trying to locate longtime “Today” weatherman and personality Al Roker. When he couldn’t find Roker, the man confronted Melvin. The man was arrested and nobody was physically injured.
Melvin, on Friday morning’s “Today” broadcast, briefly addressed the incident to viewers. “You may have heard that unfortunately an intruder made his way into an unauthorized area here at Studio 1A,” he said. “Thankfully, he was apprehended quickly. He was placed under arrest. We are cooperating fully with the NYPD as they investigate the matter. And we are just very happy that everyone is safe.”
NBC News issued a statement following the security breach.
“NBC and ‘Today’ take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously,” the statement read. “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.”
The email about the new protocols said, “We understand this is a change from how we’ve operated in the past, and we appreciate your flexibility as we implement these new measures. Anyone else accompanying the guest is more than welcome to wait in the green room during the interview – although we do encourage only bringing essential team members to the show in general moving forward. We don’t want there to be any confusion or issues the morning of an interview, so if you have any questions or foresee any concerns with a particular booking, please reach out to us in advance. We’re happy to talk through anything ahead of time.”
We wanted to reach out with an important update regarding studio access for TODAY interviews.
In light of the recent events last week, we are implementing stricter security protocols effective immediately.
Moving forward, there will be a maximum of two (2) people in the studio per guest. This includes anyone accompanying the guest – PR representatives, hair/makeup, social media, photographers, stylists, studio representatives, or any other support personnel.
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.
We understand this is a change from how we’ve operated in the past, and we appreciate your flexibility as we implement these new measures. Anyone else accompanying the guest is more than welcome to wait in the green room during the interview – although we do encourage only bringing essential team members to the show in general moving forward.
We don’t want there to be any confusion or issues the morning of an interview, so if you have any questions or foresee any concerns with a particular booking, please reach out to us in advance. We’re happy to talk through anything ahead of time.
Please also feel free to forward this along to the rest of your teams so everyone is aware of the updated policy.
Thank you for your understanding and partnership as we work to keep everyone safe.