Craig Melvin, alongside his Today show family, is paying tribute to his late brother through his upcoming charity event, The Bottoms Up Invitational. The TV star's older brother Lawrence passed away at the young age of 43 in 2020, due to his battle with colorectal cancer. He had been suffering from abdominal pain and weight loss, when he got diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Craig and his wife Lindsay Czarniak host the heartwarming annual event at Connecticut's Shorehaven Golf Club, where they invite all their friends and colleagues to help raise awareness for the disease and funds, which will be donated to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
When it comes to the Today show one thing is for sure, the crew are close like family. They have always been there through each other's ups and downs and have continuously made an effort to support each other's endeavors and good causes. The wholesome gathering has been taking place for years now and Craig shared with HELLO! in an exclusive interview, that returning guests include Willie Geist and Dylan Dreyer, as well as Harry Smith, Jay Harris, Hilton Carter, Alex English and many more.
When it comes to any changes that set this year's event apart from the previous years, Craig humorously replied: "So we're starting things a little earlier on Sunday. We're getting old. I can't do karaoke at 10 o'clock at night on a Sunday anymore, so we decided to call it a tailgate so we could hide behind the fact that we couldn't stay up as late anymore."
He hilariously continued: "So we're starting things earlier. So we do it in Connecticut [with] the concert on Sunday. We're doing an early office [time] so folks from the city can come out. It's a school night. Folks can come out and get back at a reasonable time as well, and we go and play golf Monday morning too, so you know, the last few years, it's [been] hard getting up to play 18 holes of golf on 56 hours of sleep. That's different."
As for the high-energy music, Craig added that participants can expect lively sets as usual. The journalist added: "We sort of keep sort of a house band. A lot of the musicians thankfully come back year after year, but, this year we're bringing in the Blind Boys of Alabama, just one of the groups that I've come to really enjoy over the last five, 10 years or so, and, Lisa Lisa from Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, she's gonna be a part of it. Sister Hazel. The Blowfish."
The correspondent reflected on all the love and support he's gotten over the years and expressed: "You know, it's funny because I just realized a lot of the folks who come have been there every year. It really is a motley crew. Sometimes I look around on that Sunday and Monday and I'm like, 'God, I really know the eclectic group of people.'"
To learn more about the Bottoms Up Invitational or to donate, pleaseE click here. It is important to get regularly screened for colorectal cancer, which is a preventable disease. To get informed about the disease, click here.