Craig Melvin’s new business venture is apparently making waves with his bosses. The NBC host’s new company, Melvin Made, has created a “blaze of backlash” from the network.
Scented candles have always been a hobby of Craig’s, which he decided to turn into a business, launching the product in December 2025. Although proceeds from the sales are going to cancer research, this business idea is apparently one that NBC might previously have frowned upon.
Craig Melvin’s scented candle company is causing concern at NBC
You’d never see the likes of Tom Brokaw or Matt Lauer selling scented candles. That’s according to a veteran insider who told RadarOnline that “it was banned” at NBC. Sources suggest that the news talent at the Peacock Network weren’t allowed to sell personal merchandise. The reason was that they worried that doing so might blur the lines between journalism and lifestyle branding.
While some of those guidelines have reportedly softened a little, one NBC employee believes things have shifted “from journalism to influencer culture.” Numerous cancer charities will benefit from the sales of Craig’s scented candles, including some that helped his own relatives navigate care.
Craig says the goal of this business is to raise awareness of cancer and get people talking about screenings. His older half-brother, Reverend Lawrence Meadows, died of colon cancer in December 2020.
The Emmy Award winner got called out by Jennifer Lopez during a live interview in October. Craig had mentioned her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, who served as a producer for Kiss of the Spider Woman, which stars Jennifer. Craig says that his business proceeds will be another tool to get people talking about listening to their bodies and family histories of cancer, among other things.
Since 2025, Craig has co-hosted the long-running NBC morning program Today alongside Savannah Guthrie. Craig captured an Emmy for his work as a news anchor in 2006.
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