Savannah Guthrie Put a Damper on Craig Melvin’s Date Night With Future Wife Lindsay Czarniak

Savannah Guthrie unknowingly put a damper on Today cohost Craig Melvin‘s 2010 date night with future wife Lindsay Czarniak.

Craig, 45, was dating Lindsay, 47, while they were working together at Washington D.C.’s NBC affiliate WRC-TV. He started working there as a weekend anchor in 2008, and she was a sports reporter.

“I remember vividly one time we went out to dinner,” Craig told Parade in an interview published on Friday, January 17, saying that he wanted to go for a nightcap but Lindsay turned him down, saying she had to get up early the next morning to appear on Savannah, 53, and Chuck Todd‘s MSNBC show, The Daily Rundown.

“I was like, ‘The show with Chuck and Savannah?’ I [thought], ‘Screw Chuck and Savannah [for] taking you away early,’” he joked to the outlet.

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Craig made sure to tune in to find out if Lindsay had made up an excuse to get out of their date.

“I remember the first time that I saw her on the show. She was wearing this yellow dress. Yellow is her favorite color,” he explained after watching Lindsay on The Daily Rundown. “I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t trying to blow me off, so I woke up the next morning to actually watch, and there she was. So it’s kind of full-circle.”

Craig and Lindsay were both working in Washington D.C. when Savannah was also based out of the nation’s capital. As a result, they ended up becoming fast friends.

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“I immediately was like: That guy is good. He’s different. He’s an original,” Savannah said of watching Craig at the anchor desk on WRC-TV.

“You know, [Craig’s] wife, Lindsay, and my husband, Mike [Feldman], have all known each other for a thousand years. I’ve known Lindsay for longer,” the Arizona native continued. “I thought she was amazing. We love her. And then I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, they’re dating.'”

Craig proposed to Lindsay on April 1, 2011, during a trip to Miami, Florida. The couple tied the knot six months later on October 15, 2011.

In addition to getting married, both Craig and Lindsay made professional moves the same year. He joined MSNBC Live as a weekend anchor, getting promoted the following year as an NBC News correspondent in 2012.

Lindsay left WRC in 2011 to join ESPN’s SportsCenter. She has since gone on to work for both ESPN and Fox Sports, covering everything from NASCAR to the NFL.

Craig joined the third hour of Today in 2018 and took over the primary Today cohosting duties alongside longtime pal Savannah on Monday, January 13. The South Carolina native replaced longtime host Hoda Kotb, who left the show to focus on her family life.

To celebrate his first day on the job, Lindsay and the couple’s two children, Delano and Sybil, surprised Craig on the set.

In a video posted on Today’s official Instagram account on January 13, Craig sat next to his cohosts on the couch in the studio before Lindsay, Delano, 10, Sybil, 8, his parents, Lawrence and Betty Jo, and brother Ryan walked out on stage.

Lindsay gave her husband a kiss before hugging the other cohosts, including Savannah.

“When I left this morning, you were all in bed!” a stunned Craig told his family, while Lindsay replied, “We faked it.”

Delano dressed up like his dad, wearing a suit with a microphone clipped to the lapel. “Oh, you got a microphone, buddy,” Craig marveled as his son replied, “I’m professional!”

While Craig is thrilled about his new job, it still can’t top the life he’s built with Lindsay.

“The best thing that’s ever happened to me personally and professionally is marrying Lindsay Czarniak,” he told People in an interview published on Thursday, January 15. “She doesn’t just get me as a person, as a husband — she understands the business.”