Craig Melvin Named New Co-Anchor of NBC’s ‘Today’ Show
Craig Melvin will be the new co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. The show announced the news Thursday morning.
Melvin will join Savannah Guthrie at the Today anchor desk in January after Hoda Kotb steps aside. Kotb’s final show will be Friday, Jan. 10, while Melvin will assume his new role on Monday, Jan. 13. He will also continue to co-host the third hour of the program.
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“The staff found out this morning, and people broke into applause,” Guthrie said in announcing the news. “This is one of the most popular decisions NBC has ever made.”
“I didn’t have sisters, but you guys [are the] sisters that I never knew that I needed,” Melvin said to Guthrie and Kotb. “I’m beyond excited and grateful. I had a lot of conversations yesterday with a lot of people who mean a lot to me. I want to, obviously, thank NBC and the folks here who deemed me worthy.”
“With nearly fourteen years at NBC News, including multiple roles at Today, he’s been an integral and beloved part of our family,” wrote Today executive vp Libby Leist and executive producer Tom Mazzarell in a note to staff. “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.”
Kotb had announced her plan to leave the NBC morning show in September, saying at the time that she would officially step away in early 2025 and shift into a new role with NBC.
“I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of the time pie that I have,” she added. “I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”
Kotb has been co-anchor of NBC’s Today alongside Guthrie since 2018, and has been with NBC News for 26 years as both a correspondent and anchor. She launched the Today show’s fourth hour, anchoring alongside both Kathie Lee Gifford and Jenna Bush Hager.
In a note to staff, fourth hour EP Talia Parkinson-Jones indicated that the fourth hour will revolve around Bush Hager, with the hour taking the name Today With Jenna & Friends for now.
“The show will feature a rotating cast of fill-in co-hosts until a permanent host is named,” Parkinson-Jones wrote. “We will have big names, new games and a lot of fun every step of the way.”
“It means a lot to inherit this from you,” Melvin said to Kotb after his promotion was announced, noting the role she played in stabilizing the show after the firing of Matt Lauer. “You’ve been the heart of this place for a long time. You helped save the show.”
And Today stalwart Al Roker, who was not on set, appeared via video to congratulate Melvin, recalling a tough conversation during the Pyeongchang Olympics when Melvin had doubts about his job with the show.
“I knew that this day would come,” Roker said. “I mean, I’ve watched you grow. I’ve seen you as a journalist, but also, more importantly, I’ve seen you as a dad, as a son, all the things that make you who you are. I am so proud and so happy for you right now.”
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