Hoda Kotb Reacts to Craig Melvin Being Named Her Replacement

Hoda Kotb has nothing but praise for Craig Melvin after the TODAY show announced on Thursday, Nov. 14 that the longtime news anchor would be stepping into her role starting in January.

“You are made for this job,” Kotb told Melvin during the on-air announcement, which came nearly two months after she announced her departure from TODAY. “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 his predecessor, telling Kotb, “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, who will continue hosting the third hour of TODAY alongside Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer, will begin his new role as co-anchor to Savannah Guthrie starting on Monday, Jan. 13. Kotb’s final day on the show is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 10.

Roker congratulated Melvin on Thursday’s show, joining virtually to share a story from when he and his longtime colleague covered the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. As Melvin struggled with “some doubts,” on the job, Roker reminded him, “This is it, you’re here, you’ve got it all.”

“I knew this day would come,” he continued. “I am so proud and so happy for you right now. You are so worthy of this. I almost don’t have the words. I love you.”

Melvin expressed his gratitude to all of his co-anchors in return. “I am beyond excited and grateful,” he shared. “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. I enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings. 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 labor.”

Melvin also thanked his wife, sports broadcaster Lindsay Czarniak, his two kids, son Delano and daughter Sybil, and all of his colleagues and crew members for their support over the years. “People see us on TV every morning, what they don’t see are the folks behind these cameras and downstairs,” he gushed. “We have the best team in television news and it’s an honor to be a part of that.” Melvin joked, “I’ll try not to screw it up!”