Craig Melvin got an on-air scolding from Martha Stewart after he accidentally splattered chocolate ganache across her white pants during Friday’s Halloween broadcast.
The “Today” co-anchor, 45, had been dressed as Snoop Dogg — Stewart’s longtime friend and frequent collaborator — for the show’s Halloween special marking NBC’s 100th anniversary. Stewart, 83, appeared in her own Olympic-themed costume, wearing a white sweater bearing the American flag. The homemaking mogul was demonstrating how to create a spiderweb design on a cheesecake when she discovered a crucial ingredient was missing.
“Someone forgot the chocolate ganache,” Stewart said as she prepared to decorate.
Melvin grabbed the piping bag to hand it over, but the ganache slipped out and spilled down Stewart’s white pants. “Ahhh!” Stewart cried out, while Melvin stood frozen with his mouth open. Co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, dressed as an NBC Page, and Carson Daly, in costume as singer Ella Langley, watched in stunned silence from nearby.
“Snoop!” Stewart snapped. “Real Snoop would never do this!”
Melvin retreated to the other side of the table, putting distance between himself and Stewart before slowly edging back toward Daly. The tension broke moments later when Stewart let out a quick laugh and returned to the cheesecake demonstration.
“Let’s do this very carefully,” she said, continuing that the chocolate ganache was “so sloppy” that she had “never seen anything like it.”
“I have burning legs of hot chocolate,” Stewart added as she spread the ganache across the dessert.
The ganache incident capped a week of uncomfortable on-air moments for Melvin. Earlier in the week, he sat down with Parker Posey for an interview that veered off course twice.
While asking the “White Lotus” star, 55, about her rumored involvement in an upcoming horror project, Melvin’s pronunciation caused immediate confusion. “I thought you called me a whore!” Posey said in response.
“I did not call you a whore!” he insisted. “H-o-r-r-, horror, I did not enunciate well.”
Posey began fanning herself with papers, admitting she was “sweating” from the exchange. She then clarified that she was no longer attached to the horror film, titled “Sleepover” from Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Universal Pictures, despite earlier reports. “I was [doing] it,” she explained. “Yeah, it’s not happening anymore. Something came up.”
Melvin acknowledged the interview had taken an “even more awkward than usual” turn. Posey ultimately reassured him, calling the exchange “funny” as they wrapped.
The back-to-back incidents highlighted a rough stretch for the anchor, who has co-hosted the third hour of “Today” since 2018 and frequently handles celebrity interviews and live cooking segments. The Halloween special drew additional attention for its NBC centennial theme, with multiple hosts appearing in costumes referencing notable network moments from the past year.
Stewart and Snoop Dogg’s friendship has been well-documented through their co-hosting of “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” and numerous joint appearances, making Melvin’s costume choice particularly ironic given the dressing-down he received. The real Snoop Dogg, 53, has not publicly commented on the broadcast.
Despite the ganache mishap, Stewart completed her demonstration and the segment continued without further incident. The cheesecake spiderweb technique was among several festive recipes she shared during her appearance.
Melvin is scheduled to return to his regular co-hosting duties on “Today” Monday morning from New York.
