Rick Springfield didn’t miss a beat when he roasted Today show host Craig Melvin for yawning mid-interview, proving the ’80s rock legend still knows how to wake up a crowd.
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On Thursday, the 75-year-old was discussing his 1980 hit “Jessie’s Girl” when he abruptly stopped to ask Melvin, “Am I boring you?”
Apparently, Melvin, 46, was yawning off-camera.
“Not at all, Rick. I apologize,” an embarrassed Melvin murmured. Meanwhile, his Today show co-hosts Al Roker and Jill Martin guffawed at Springfield’s quip.
“It’s early,” the veteran singer shot back. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll yawn, too.”
Melvin insisted he wasn’t yawning, quickly explaining, “It was a cough.” However, his weak excuse was overshadowed by Roker and Martin’s laughter.
Springfield continued to bust Melvin’s chops over the yawn throughout the interview.
“I like this guy!” Roker said through laughs.
Rick Springfield Also Revealed a Brain Injury He Suffered During a Botched Onstage Stunt
In the interview, Springfield also revealed that he recently discovered lasting damage from a brain injury he sustained 25 years ago after a fall during a Las Vegas concert.
“I was doing the show in Vegas, and I fell actually 25 feet to a steel stage,” Springfield explained.
During a mid-show stunt, Springfield was set to be suspended from a beam using a gravity-powered harness system. However, “it wasn’t tied off,” the singer recalled. “I slammed [onto the stage], and then the beam hit me on the head, and then my head hit the [stage] again.”
Doctors initially believed he had only broken his wrist. “They checked me out, and it seemed to be OK,” Springfield said. However, a recent full-body MRI revealed he had actually suffered a brain injury.
During his Today show appearance, Springfield said the injury hasn’t affected him much and that he’s getting ready for a tour starting this month.