Nearly two months after Hoda Kotb announced she would be leaving TODAY, viewers can now know a familiar face will be sliding into her chair as co-anchor.
Craig Melvin, who has been with NBC News for nearly 14 years, is moving into the co-anchor seat alongside Savannah Guthrie for the 7 and 8 a.m. hours. He will begin Monday, Jan. 13, after Hoda says goodbye to her morning duties on Friday, Jan. 10.
“I am beyond excited and grateful,” Craig said on TODAY Nov. 14. “This is the latest in a long line of blessings.”
“The larger staff found out this morning, and people broke into applause,” Savannah also said. “This is one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made. Congratulations.”
Craig has held a number of positions during his years at TODAY, from weekend co-anchor, to his current roles as co-host of the 3rd hour of TODAY and news anchor during the earlier hours. He is also husband to sports broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak and proud dad to Delano, 10, and Sybil, 8.
Craig will continue to co-host the 3rd hour with Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones.
“We are beyond thrilled to have Craig step into the co-anchor chair,” Libby Leist, senior vice president of TODAY, said in a statement to staff Nov. 14. “He’s been an integral and beloved part of our family. From breaking news coverage in the field, to presidential interviews, to multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at TODAY. And he does it without ever losing that Southern charm.”
The TODAY team sent well wishes to Craig on the show Nov. 14, with Hoda saying he was “made for this job.”
“You are that kind of good,” she added. “You have all the things that this job needs. You’re the right person for it.”
Al joined TODAY by video chat to tell Craig that “he knew this day would come.”
“I’m so proud and so happy for you right now,” he said. “You are so worthy of this. I almost don’t have the words.”
In addition to Craig’s news, TODAY with Hoda & Jenna will also see some changes following Hoda’s departure. TODAY’s fourth hour, co-hosted by Hoda and Jenna Bush Hager since April 2019, will debut as TODAY with Jenna & Friends on Jan. 13 until a permanent co-host is named. The show will feature a rotating cast of fill-in co-hosts, new games and much more.
TODAY will be celebrating Hoda throughout her final shows in January.
Hoda emotionally shared on TODAY Sept. 26 that she felt that it was time to move on from the show, a decision she felt moved to make after celebrating her 60th birthday in August.
“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” she said. “I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, ‘This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.’ And I thought it can’t get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on.”
At the time of Hoda’s announcement, Craig shared his admiration for Hoda’s authenticity on and off the camera.
“People in this business, when that little red light, it goes off, they’re different people,” Craig said. “We’ve worked with all these people before. You’re the opposite. That little red light goes off, you are exactly like people see you in the morning — just the biggest heart.
“You’ve been the heart of this show for a long time, and there’s no replacing that.”
