Craig Melvin Named New Anchor Of NBC’s ‘Today’

Craig Melvin will become the new co-anchor of NBC’s Today, following the departure of Hoda Kotb in January.

The announcement was made on this morning’s broadcast. Kotb’s final day on the show will be on Jan. 10, and Melvin will start on Jan. 13.

Melvin will join Savannah Guthrie as the main co-host of the morning show, the 72-year-old franchise that is a profit center for the network’s news division.

Melvin became a news anchor of Today in 2018 and co-host of 3rd Hour of Today the following year. He also anchored a daily MSNBC show, but stepped back from that in 2022 to focus on the morning show.

Kotb announced in September that she would depart the show, having served as co-host since 2018, after the ouster of Matt Lauer. Kotb and Guthrie became the first all-female team to helm the show.

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

Melvin, 45, started his career at NBC’s affiliate in Columbia, SC, his hometown. He joined WRC-TV, NBC’s affiliate in Washington, D.C., in 2008, and became a daytime anchor for MSNBC in 2011.

Libby Leist, senior vice president of Today, said in a statement that Melvin has “been an integral and beloved part of our family. From breaking news coverage in the field, to presidential interviews, to multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at Today. And he does it without ever losing that Southern charm.”

Melvin will continue to co-anchor 3rd Hour of Today with Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones. The fourth hour of the morning show, Today with Hoda & Jenna, will be renamed Today with Jenna & Friends, with a rotating series of co-hosts until a permanent successor is named to join Jenna Bush Hager.

More to come.