Craig Melvin and Al Roker were granted a restraining order against Andrew Truelove after he was arrested on the Today show set.
Us Weekly can confirm that a judge issued a protective order requiring Truelove, 41, to stay away from Melvin, 47, and Roker, 71.
TMZ reported that Truelove cannot go near Melvin or Roker at NBC or their homes. He remains behind bars on $20,000 bail after being arrested on Thursday, July 16, when he snuck into the morning show’s studio in New York City.
Truelove was allegedly looking for Roker first before lunging toward Melvin and yelling a racial slur.
“There was a security incident this morning at the TODAY show studio. An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A,” read a statement from NBC. “The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security. The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured.”
The statement continued, “TODAY is cooperating fully with law enforcement as they investigate the matter. NBC and TODAY take the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. 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.”
Several outlets reported that a security guard was fired following the incident. Truelove, meanwhile, is facing multiple charges, including hate crime — criminal trespass and harassment.
Melvin initially broke his silence about the situation with a social media statement on Thursday, writing, “Hey everyone. I’ve heard from so many of you over the last few hours. I’m doing just fine. Thanks for reaching out. I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning on @todayshow.”
He later elaborated during the Friday, July 17, episode of the NBC morning show, insisting he was “safe and sound.”
“I want to take a quick minute to address an incident that happened yesterday,” Melvin said. “You may have heard that unfortunately an intruder made his way into an unauthorized area here at Studio 1A. Thankfully he was apprehended quickly [and] he was placed under arrest.”
Melvin offered an update on the case, adding, “We are cooperating fully with the NYPD as they investigate the matter and we are just very happy that everyone is safe.”
Roker addressed the situation in a social media statement of his own on Friday.
“A really heartfelt thank you to all who reached out over the last 24 hours to check in on my brother, @craigmelvinnbc,” Roker wrote via Instagram. “We are both OK.”
He concluded: “It’s moments like these that serve to pull us together. You all, like Craig, said ‘You come after one of us, you come after all of us.’ We’ll talk about it this morning on @todayshow.”
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