Hoda Kotb’s Today show replacement named nearly two months after host of 17 years resigned

On By Littum

Hoda Kotb’s Today Show replacement has been announced as Craig Melvin almost two months after the host of 17 years announced her exit.

The news was revealed on Thursday’s edition of the long-running NBC morning show.

“Craig Melvin is the new anchor Today show!” co-host Savannah Guthrie gushed, calling this “one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made.”

Melvin became a news anchor for Today in 2018 and co-host on Third class today the following year. He will co-anchor with Guthrie in the 7 and 8 a.m. hours starting Jan. 13, NBC said.

“You are made for this job. … You have all the things that this job needs. You are the right person for it,” Kotb told his successor.

Melvin said it was “the latest in a long line of blessings.”

“I’m very excited and grateful… I spoke to mom and dad yesterday and I’m grateful that they’re still young enough and healthy enough to see this.”

Craig Melvin will co-anchor the 'Today' show with Savannah Guthrie
Craig Melvin will co-anchor the ‘Today’ show with Savannah Guthrie (Getty Images for Opportunity Net)

The replacement comes after Kotb announced on September 26 that she would be leaving the network after 26 years.

“I realized it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and try something new,” the host said at the time.

The broadcast journalist, who turned 60 in August, explained that spending time with her young daughters, Haley, seven, and Hope, five, was also an important part of her decision.

“Obviously I had my kids late in life and I thought they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have,” she said. “I feel like we only have a limited amount of time.

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“And so, with all that said, this is the hardest thing in the world,” Kotb said.

She clarified that she will continue to host Today show with co-anchor Savannah Guthrie through January 1, 2025.

Kotb has been an integral part of NBC News for nearly three decades, having first joined the network in 1998 as a correspondent on its weekly nighttime show Date line.

In 2008, she moved on to co-host the fourth hour of Today show with Kathie Lee Gifford and then Jenna Bush Hager in 2019.

After NBC fired Today host Matt Lauer in 2017 following allegations of sexual misconduct, Kotb stepped in alongside Guthrie as an interim replacement. Her role became permanent weeks later as viewers responded well to the pairing.

speaks to TheNew York TimesGuthrie praised Kotb’s decision: “It takes such courage to leave a place where you are so comfortable, so loved. There is nothing rash about this.”

Kotb also wrote a letter to Today staff, detailing her plans to “remain a part of the NBC family.”

“Gladly and gratefully, I plan to remain a part of the NBC family, the longest working relationship I’ve been lucky enough to hold close to my heart. I want to be around. How could I not? Family is family and you will always be a part of me.”