Craig Melvin has shared that he will deliver Villanova University’s 2026 Commencement Address on May 19, meaning he'll be absent from the show that day. The TODAY Show anchor will also receive the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.
The University’s 183rd commencement will be held Tuesday, May 19, in Villanova Stadium. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies, and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law.
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty ICraig Melvin's career
Craig joined as a regular host on the NBC show following Hoda Kotb's departure in January 2025. He has been part of the team for years, but his permanent position was a huge move.
The NBC star has reported extensively on significant national and international events, such as both Republican and Democratic National Conventions, as well as three presidential inaugurations. His political coverage features interviews with prominent figures, including former President Bill Clinton, then–Vice President Joe Biden, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Secretaries of State John Kerry, Mike Pompeo, and Condoleezza Rice.
© Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty IThe news anchor exclusively spoke with us about joining the hit morning show. "It's just a lot," he shared. "There's a lot about the job that you don't really understand or appreciate until you have the job. Like there are luncheons or meetings or Q&A sessions with different groups and you're like, 'Why is this on the calendar? Like why do we do this?'"
He continued: "Oh yeah, the TODAY Show host has done it for 25 years and so you don't wanna be the guy, the first guy who doesn't do it." He added: "It's funny because I'll find myself sometimes in meetings. I'm like, 'Why am I here? Like what purpose am I serving?'"
Craig also hosts the hit podcast Glass Half Full, which launched on February 3, 2026. On it, Craig interviews celebrity guests in his basement bar. "I've always been fascinated by what shapes people," he said in the podcast trailer. "The setbacks, the breakthroughs, the moments that really change everything."
© Getty ImagesHe continued: "Would you consider yourself a glass half full or glass half empty kind of person? "These really interesting people. They'll say something, and if we were on the show, I couldn't follow up, because we've got to hit the commercial break. Here in my basement we can talk about that for five, 10 minutes. You say something funny or weird, we can really go there."
Craig Melvin's family life
The television star and his wife, Lindsay Czarniak, met while both working at NBC Washington, with Craig enlisted as a news anchor in 2008 and Lindsay boasting the title of sports anchor. The pair tied the knot in 2011 with a wedding in Washington D.C. – the city where they met – at the Church of the Holy City. They later welcomed their son, Delano, in 2014, and their daughter, Sybil, in 2016.
