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'Today' co-host Craig Melvin reveals testing positive for Covid caused his mysterious long absence from NBC show

While Craig Melvin was away from the 'Today' show, Sheinelle Jones and Ally Love filled in to take care of his duties

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: ‘Today’ host Craig Melvin, who has been absent from the NBC show for a while, revealed on the Tuesday, October 3, episode that he was battling Covid in the past few days. 

He disclosed the fact in a lightning-quick response while engaging with Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer in a segment dedicated to harvest season travel deals.

For the last couple of days, Peloton fitness instructor and NBC correspondent Ally Love replaced Melvin during the 'Today 3rd Hour'. 

How did Craig Melvin reveal the reason behind his absence from 'Today'?

During a recent ‘Today’ episode, Craig Melvin, Al Roker, and Dylan Dreyer were discussing the harvest season when the truth about his absence was revealed. 

While talking about changing colors of tree leaves, Melvin mispronounced "foliage" as "foilage," prompting laughter and jokes from his co-host Roker, who quipped that it's only "foilage" if they're talking about Reynold's Wrap (a brand of aluminum foil).

In response to the good-natured ribbing, Melvin defended himself by mentioning, "I had Covid for five days," and humorously adding, "My brain's not working right."

The 44-year-old had been missing from work for several days, leaving colleagues and viewers curious about his whereabouts during that time.

'Today' fans speculate on Craig Melvin's whereabouts due to his long absence

Craig Melvin’s recent absence from the morning show raised questions among viewers and colleagues about his whereabouts. 

Typically, he joins Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on weekday mornings, but he was notably missing on Monday, with Sheinelle Jones filling in for him, creating an all-female hosting panel. However, his absence was not addressed on the show.

However, when Lindsay Czarniak, Melvin’s wife, took to social media to share a photo of herself standing in front of a sign that read "Taylor Swift Education Center," located in Nashville, Tennessee fans thought he might be accompanying her. 

In her caption, she used a red heart emoji and included hashtags related to Taylor Swift and the NFL.

Melvin had also been absent on the preceding Friday, with Guthrie mentioning that Jones was filling in because he was "a bit under the weather" that morning.