Craig Melvin Anchors ‘Today’ Without Savannah Guthrie: ‘She Decided to Bail’

After just three days into his new role on the Today show, Craig Melvin joked his co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, “decided to bail” on him. Melvin, 45, joked about Guthrie’s absence on the Thursday, Jan. 16 episode of the NBC morning show as he was joined by Laura Jarrett instead of his regular co-host.

“Welcome to Today, so glad you’re with us on this busy Thursday morning,” Melvin said. “Laura Jarrett is in, Savannah’s a little under the weather.” He then joked, “I know what you’re thinking, that after three days of Craig she decided to bail…” Jarrett, 41, teased, “I wasn’t going to say it… but it’s nice to be with you.”

Melvin marked his first day as Today show co-anchor alongside Guthrie, 53, on Monday, Jan. 13, having taken over for Hoda Kotb after her Jan. 10 exit. Kotb, 60, announced in September that she would be stepping back from her morning show role after 17 years in order to spend more time with daughters Haley, 8, and Hope, 5.

“You are made for this job,” Kotb told Melvin after he was announced as her replacement. “You are literally made for this job. You are that kind of good. You have all the things that this job needs. You’re the right person for it.”

Melvin had similarly kind words for Kotb as she passed along the torch. “It means a lot to inherit this from you,” he said. “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!’”

After Kotb’s last day on Jan. 10, Melvin took to Instagram with a heartfelt message. “Hoda is the definition of compassion, love, and has been the heartbeat of @todayshow,” he wrote. “I am so grateful to have you as a colleague and a close friend. Cheers to you. It’s not goodbye. It’s a see you later. I love you. Thank you.”

On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Guthrie and Melvin appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to open up about their new partnership, with Guthrie gushing, “This is the Craig Era. We’re in our Craig Era.” Guthrie also revealed that she’s still in close contact with her longtime friend and colleague Kotb since her retirement.

“I’m maybe talking to Hoda more than ever,” Guthrie quipped. “We talked every single day. She actually got up earlier than me on Monday. Hoda wakes up at 3 a.m. on Saturday. We FaceTime with her.”