Hoda Kotb’s Replacement Announced on ‘Today’ Show

Craig Melvin will take Hoda Kotb’s co-anchor position alongside Savannah Guthrie at the Today show when she retires in 2025. Melvin, who is already a news anchor on the morning show and a co-host of the third hour of Today, announced the news on the show Thursday morning.

“I am beyond excited and grateful,” an emotional Melvin, 45, said. “I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings.”

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Next to him, Kotb endorsed her coworker, saying he was “literally made for this job.” She said, “You have all the things this job needs. You are the right person for it.”

Guthrie also congratulated Melvin. “Let me just say that the staff found out this morning and people broke out into applause,” she gushed. “This is one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made. Congratulations!”

Melvin spoke about filling the co-anchor seat, touching on his family’s humble beginnings. “You all know my backstory. My mother’s mother was an elementary school custodian. My father’s mother had to take care of five kids so she ran numbers and ran electric for a long time,” he said, revealing that his paternal grandmother spent time in prison. “My dad was born in prison. That didn’t define him. He overcame addictions in his life and he’s become one of my favorite human beings. My mom, at one point, picks up a second job to sacrifice and provide for our family. So I’m grateful to them.”

He also thanked his wife of 13 years, Lindsay Czarniak. “I talked to her this morning … and we had a nice moment,” he said. He shouted out his kids, Delano and Sybil, who were watching live, saying they “make me proud every day.”

Kotb announced earlier this fall that she will retire from the Today show and announced on Thursday that her final day will be Jan. 10, 2025. She said her last day will be a “party day.” Guthrie said the NBC show will spend Kotb’s final week celebrating her.

Kotb said she arrived at the decision to leave the show when she turned 60, saying she wanted to spend more time with her young daughters. “I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new,” Kotb said through tears when she announced her retirement.

Kotb has co-anchored the show with Guthrie since early 2018 following Matt Lauer’s firing, becoming the first all-female anchor team.