Craig Melvin has been tapped to replace Hoda Kotb as co-host of the Today show alongside Savannah Guthrie next year.
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Kotb, who was a well-known face at NBC for more than two decades after joining the network in 1998 as a correspondent for Dateline, announced she was leaving the morning program this January in a tear-filled announcement in September.
In an emotional on-air reveal, Kotb said her 60th birthday this summer sparked her decision to step away from the limelight. “I saw it all so clearly: my broadcast career has been beyond meaningful, a new decade of my life lies ahead, and now my daughters and my mom need and deserve a bigger slice of my time pie,” she said.
Her adopted daughters are Haley, 7, and Hope, 5.
Kotb was joined by her on-air colleagues when she told viewers of her surprise decision, saying, “This is the hardest thing in the world” and “I’ve been practicing so I wouldn’t cry, but anyway, I did.”
Kotb was brought on as Guthrie’s co-anchor in 2018 after Matt Lauer was fired amid sexual harassment allegations. She also co-hosted the fourth hour of the morning show with Jenna Bush Hager, having previously fronted the broadcast alongside Kathie Lee Gifford. Kotb first joined the Today team in 2007.
Melvin, who is a correspondent on Today and co-hosts the third hour of the broadcast, made the announcement that he was taking over from Kotb on Thursday morning.
“I am beyond excited and grateful,” Melvin said. “I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings.”
Kotb praised her replacement, saying Melvin is “literally made for this job.”
“You are that kind of good,” she said. “You have all the things that this job needs. You’re the right person for it.”
Melvin, 45, praised Kotb back, telling her: “It means a lot to inherit this from you. You helped save the show and to be able to sit next to someone who I knew was smart for years and all of a sudden you start working with her and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, she’s funny too!’”
Melvin also thanked his fellow Today show personalities and the network executives who gave him the new opportunity.
“I want to thank NBC and the folks here who deemed me worthy. And I have to start by thanking the man upstairs, thank you my Lord above and his son Jesus,” he said. “I talked to mom and dad yesterday and I’m grateful they’re still young enough to see this and enjoy the fruits of their labour.”
Libby Leist, senior vice president of Today, said in a statement that Melvin has 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,” Leist said.
Melvin went on to pay tribute to his wife and children and the people who work behind the scenes on the New York-based show.
“People see us on TV every morning, what they don’t see are the folks behind these cameras and downstairs. We have the best team in television news and it’s an honour to be a part of that,” he said.
In his new role, which begins Jan. 13, 2025, Melvin will continue on as co-host of the third hour of Today. Meanwhile, Hager’s fourth-hour broadcast will feature a cast of revolving co-hosts and will be renamed Today with Jenna and Friends until a new replacement is found.