Deidre Hall playfully slaps Craig Melvin on Today

Deidre Hall playfully slapped "Today" host Craig Melvin during a Friday broadcast after he praised her "ability to slap" and asked for the honor. She pulled back for a faux strike, instructed him to "snap" his head, joked that she "meant to miss," and sent the crew into laughter as Melvin feigned shock and covered his eye.

Hall, 78, began appearing on the NBC mainstay in 1976 and was marking 50 years on the soap, where she plays Dr. Marlena Evans. Her long run on the show, set in the fictional town of Salem, Illinois, has earned her three Daytime Emmy nominations, and the series has streamed on Peacock since 2022.

For decades she portrayed the beloved psychiatrist opposite Drake Hogestyn’s John Black. Hogestyn died following a battle with pancreatic cancer just a day before his 71st birthday on Sept. 28, 2024; Hall said he was "dearly loved by everyone who ever knew him and he will be missed beyond measure." Fans celebrated Hall’s milestone in the YouTube comments, writing things like "Love you Marlena!!

deidre hall, craig melvin, today, marlena evans, nbc, peacock, drake hogestyn, pancreatic cancer, daytime emmy, 50 years