Man Sentenced to Six Months for Probation Violation, Faces Hate Crime Charges for Alleged Racial Slur Against 'Today' Host

A New York man accused of making a racial slur against "Today" show host Craig Melvin has been sentenced to six months in prison for a separate probation violation. Andrew Truelove, 41, pleaded guilty to violating his probation in New York Criminal Court on Wednesday and was sentenced by Judge Gregory Carro to six months in prison and five years of probation. The details of the unrelated criminal mischief charges from May 30 were not immediately available.

Truelove is scheduled to return to court on November 16 to face two counts of hate crime charges stemming from an incident on July 16, 2026. According to a criminal complaint cited by CNN, Truelove allegedly racially insulted Melvin and stated he "always wanted to call a black famous person the n–word." Truelove was arrested at the Rockefeller Center for this incident and has remained in custody since.

He allegedly entered the NBC building by following an employee who used an identification badge to access restricted areas. Truelove was reportedly looking for weatherman Al Roker and approached Melvin after seeing him, according to reports.

Melvin later addressed the incident on Instagram, stating he was "doing just fine." NBC confirmed the breach, stating that "no one was injured" and that the network was cooperating with law enforcement and reviewing its security protocols.

Prior to the NBC incident, Truelove was arrested on July 13, 2026, for the criminal mischief charges and was released before the alleged encounter with Melvin. He had previously been sentenced in June to time served and probation for a criminal mischief case, having spent six months in prison.

Truelove also has other court dates pending. He is expected back in court on October 9 for a third unrelated case initiated in January, where he faces a charge of third-degree assault with intent to cause physical injury and has pleaded not guilty.

The Los Angeles Times reported that Truelove had been homeless for two decades across several states before the alleged incident at NBC. His half-sister reportedly told the outlet that Truelove was not taking his schizophrenia medication and was "very sick and very mentally ill."

In 2007, Truelove was convicted of attempted abduction of an eight-year-old in Virginia and received a 10-year sentence, with six years suspended, and 10 years of probation. He has faced prior charges including trespassing, destruction of property, making bomb threats, and multiple probation violations in Virginia.

If convicted of the hate crime charges related to the NBC incident, Truelove could face up to 15 years in prison.