NBC has tapped news anchor Craig Melvin as the replacement for Hoda Kotb as co-anchor of the “Today” show.
Melvin, who currently co-hosts the third hour of “Today” and is the show’s news anchor, is set to join Savannah Guthrie as the show’s co-anchor for the 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. slot. He will continue hosting the third hour with Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, and Sheinelle Jones.
Guthrie shared the news with viewers on Nov. 14, describing Melvin as “talented, wonderful, hard-working, most worthy,” adding that the show’s production team had applauded upon hearing the announcement.
“I am beyond excited and grateful,” Melvin said on air Thursday. “This is the latest in a long line of blessings.”
Kotb said Melvin has “all the things that this job needs, you’re the right person for it.”
Libby Leist, senior vice president of “Today,” said in a statement sent to staff on Thursday morning that Melvin is 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’s wife, sports anchor Lindsay Czarniak, congratulated her husband on the news and posted a series of photos of the couple on Instagram.
“The opportunity to watch the person you love see their dream come true is such a gift. I will never forget this day and the crowds’ excitement to share your good news,” she wrote.
The veteran NBC host will begin on Jan. 13 following Kotb’s official last day at the show on Jan. 10. Kotb has co-anchored “Today” since 2018, and became part of the show’s first all-woman anchor team when she partnered with Guthrie. In September, Kotb announced her decision to leave the show after nearly three decades at NBC, saying it was time to try something new.
“I was doing the math, and I realized that I have spent 26 years at NBC,” she said in a message to viewers. “I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new.”
Kotb added that her adoptive daughters, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, were key factors in her decision to step away from her high-profile role. “Obviously, I had my kiddos late in life,” Kotb said. “And I was thinking that they deserve a bigger slice of my time pie.”
NBC News has not picked a permanent replacement for Kotb’s other role where she co-anchors the 10 a.m. hour alongside Jenna Bush Hager.
During the Thursday morning segment, Melvin went on to call Kotb and Guthrie “the sisters I never knew that I needed.”
Speaking to Kotb, he said “It means a lot to inherit this from you, you’ve been the heart of this place for a long time. You helped save this show.”