Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie are not only good friends, but engaging and amicable TODAY co-anchors. But ever since Kotb announced she is leaving, viewers have been curious about which new co-host they will watch while sipping their all-important morning coffee.
Kotb announced on the episode that aired in the early hours of Nov. 14, 2024 “we’re so excited that our friend Craig Melvin will be taking over the 7:00 next to Savannah. He will be doing the 7:00 and 8:00.”
Kotb explained, “He’s deserving of this” and said, “I’m so happy for this guy.” She called Melvin “a good human being.” We all need more people who are described that way! Kotb continued that for Melvin, “the crowd” is “his happy place,” so it’s a perfect fit.
According to Variety, Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager host the 10 AM hour of TODAY together, but several people will fill in instead of one new co-host. Melvin is currently a 9 AM co-host, so he’ll be getting up even earlier in order to be there at 7 and 8 AM.
Melvin not only began his journalistic journey at TODAY in 2018, but from 2011 to 2014, he was a weekend anchor on MSNBC Live. He has also been an anchor on Dateline Present and co-anchor of Weekend Today.
He has grown close to many others at TODAY, and told People that he’s good friends with Al Roker. Melvin called Roker “the first one to welcome me with open arms.” A source explained that “the whole staff loves him” “and “everybody on the set cheered” when finding out he was going to be in Kotb’s shoes. NBC News Daily anchor Vicky Nguyen posted the news on her Instagram account, and called it “a universal feeling that a good guy won.” She added that he makes sit a point to learn the names of people he works with, which is just one reason why she adores him.
As it turns out, Melvin got the new job a few weeks before the announcement, but it was a secret until this morning. Hotb said in an interview with The New York Times that she said “Let’s go Mets” to him when they wanted to refer to his new gig, as no one else knew what was going on. She explained, “He looked like a kid on Christmas, getting what he wanted.”
Kotb shared she knew it was time to go because she wants to be with her kids, seven-year-old Haley and five-year-old Hope. It’s sad news for fans, but also speaks to the work/life balance conversations that she and co-host Guthrie have had when interviewed over the years. When she said she was leaving, Kotb explained of her daughters, “they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time.”
Kotb seems to be enjoying and embracing this new phase of her life. This morning, she talked about being thrilled to have a minivan when co-hosting Today with Hoda & Jenna. Viewers can definitely mourn no longer watching her awesome and optimistic energy every a.m. while welcoming Melvin and being excited to see him on the show.
Kotb’s final day as TODAY co-anchor is Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. Let’s tune in… and grab an extra special drink (maybe a vanilla latte or similarly fancy beverage) in her honor.