Craig Melvin crowned People's 'sexiest morning show host' live on Today, with a towel, sash and crown

After a month of on-air campaigning by his co-workers, “Today” co-anchor Craig Melvin is officially “hotter than your morning cup of coffee.” Melvin won his category in People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice poll, and his co-hosts celebrated live on the Thursday, Oct. 22, broadcast.

What did Craig Melvin win?

Readers were asked, “Which of these morning hosts is hotter than your first cup of coffee?” Melvin beat out “Good Morning America’s” Michael Strahan and Gio Benitez and “CBS Mornings’” Vladimir Duthiers, TODAY reported.

“We are happy to announce, ladies and gentlemen, that our friend Craig here is officially hotter than a cup of coffee in the morning!” Carson Daly announced, according to TV Insider. “Craig, you have been voted People Magazine’s Sexiest Morning Show Host.”

The honor is one category in People’s Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice poll, decided by reader votes.

The crown, the sash and the towel

Daly, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker surprised Melvin with a crown, a sash and a towel bearing the Sexiest Man Alive branding. Daly joked that the towel was a nod to how much Melvin sweats on air. “Now we know why he sweats. It’s because he’s so hot,” Guthrie said.

“Come on, you’re the king,” Roker said. “Long may you reign,” Guthrie added.

Melvin, who protested the crown before Guthrie placed it on his head, kept his acceptance speech short. “Glad it’s over,” he said. “Thanks to my mom and my wife who voted at least 100, 200 times, for sure.”

He then apologized to that morning’s celebrity guest. “Dame Helen Mirren, that you were subjected to that,” he said, per TV Insider. “She’s classing up the joint.”

What did Lindsay Czarniak say?

Melvin’s wife, Lindsay Czarniak, joined the third hour of the show from home. After joking about everyday chores getting “a little sexier,” she turned sincere, TODAY reported.

“One of the things I thought of first was my grandma, she’s going to be so excited because she lives for watching you and this show,” she said. “I do think you’re sexy, but I am really proud of you because you know you’re sexy at heart, as well.”

Czarniak had campaigned for him in an Oct. 12 Instagram video, calling him “an amazing dad, tremendous husband, teammate, partner,” praising his chili and candle-making, and concluding, “it’s the dimple, guys, it’s the dimple.” The couple married in 2011 and have two children, Delano and Sybil.

A campaign a month in the making

Melvin was nominated last month. “Am I being punk’d right now?” he said on the show on Sept. 30, TODAY reported. Guthrie urged viewers to “vote early and often,” and TV Insider noted that one fan in Washington, D.C., even posed a giant yard skeleton with a sign urging votes for Melvin.

It was a win on his second try: TODAY noted Melvin was nominated for sexiest morning show host in 2023 but lost to Mark Consuelos.

FAQ

Is Craig Melvin People’s Sexiest Man Alive? He won the morning-show-host category of People’s Sexiest Man Alive Readers’ Choice poll.

Who is Craig Melvin married to? Lindsay Czarniak. They married in 2011 and have two children.

Who else was nominated? Michael Strahan, Gio Benitez and Vladimir Duthiers.