Craig Melvin’s Mom Makes Rare ‘Today’ Appearance — and She Has Questions

The Thursday, November 12, episode of Today featured several special guests, including an extended member of the NBC morning show’s family.

“No Thanksgiving would be complete without these two queens of entertaining, of course, Martha Stewart [and] Giada De Laurentiis,” Dylan Dreyer said while introducing a cooking segment for Today‘s annual All-Star Thanksgiving show. “We’ve got them on hand to answer some of our most pressing questions.”

Stewart and De Laurentiis answered questions from fans on the 30 Rockefeller Plaza about everything from homemade table decorations to appetizer recommendations, must-have kitchen tools, and how to delegate which dishes guests bring.

“We’ve got a surprise who has a question for both of you,” Roker said to the guests before showing a video question from none other than Craig Melvin‘s mother, Betty Jo Melvin. “Good morning. When you bring a dish to Thanksgiving, are you obligated to leave the leftovers with the host?” Betty Jo asked in the clip.

The video came as a pleasant surprise to the show’s guests. “Is that your mother, Craig?” De Laurentiis excitedly asked, to which Craig replied, “That was Betty Jo Melvin.” Stewart added, “Aww. That’s your mommy? Oh hi, Mom!”

Stewart went on to answer Betty Jo’s question, stating, “No. You know what? I’m making an extra turkey this year just for people like you, ma’am. And I pack up the sides. I don’t want all that stuff. I do want some turkey and some cranberry sauce for the next day.”

De Laurentiis agreed. “I get Tupperware, and I give it to my friends and family,” the former Food Network star said. “I also don’t want so much of it the next day, ‘cause after you’ve cooked it all day, I don’t want to look at it again.”

After Craig praised his mom’s “great question,” the show aired another video question Betty Jo submitted. “Is it ever acceptable to bring a store-bought dish to Thanksgiving and pass it off as homemade?” she asked in the second clip. In reaction, Craig shouted, “No, Mom!”

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De Laurentiis said “it’s fine” to bring a store-bought dish to a Thanksgiving gathering, as long as you “doctor it up a little bit.” Stewart disagreed, declaring, “No. Absolutely not.”

Roker wrapped up the segment by praising Betty Jo’s own cooking skills. “And don’t forget, don’t sleep on that Betty Jo Melvin mac-n-cheese,” he gushed.

The video questions marked a rare on-screen appearance from Betty Jo on Today. In January 2025, she was among several family members who surprised Craig in Studio 1A for his first day as Savannah Guthrie‘s co-anchor.

In August, Betty Jo celebrated her first anniversary of completing chemotherapy treatment in an interview with Today.com. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2025. After undergoing surgery and months of treatment, Betty Jo completed chemotherapy that fall.

“When I was having surgery, those things that were surrounding me didn’t matter. … I can’t take any of those things with me,” she said of the lessons she learned from her cancer journey. “But what I could take with me is what I’ve done with my family and my friends, how they feel, how I feel about them. It’s the times we’ve had together. To me, those things mean the most.”

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