‘Today’ Staffers ‘Broke Into Applause’ After Craig Melvin Was Announced as Hoda Kotb’s Replacement

NBC staffers had quite the reaction when it was announced that Craig Melvin would be replacing Hoda Kotb on Today come the new year.

The big news was announced during an episode of the morning talk show on Thursday, November 14.

“The staff found out this morning, and people broke into applause,” Savannah Guthrie said of the latest casting change. “This is one of the most popular decisions NBC has ever made.”

His other colleagues were just as excited to share the big news of his promotion.

“I knew that this day would come,” Al Roker said while appearing virtually during the episode. “I mean, I’ve watched you grow. I’ve seen you as a journalist, but also, more importantly, I’ve seen you as a dad, as a son, all the things that make you who you are. I am so proud and so happy for you right now.”

And Craig is thrilled to be sliding into Hoda’s seat in January 2025 when she officially departs the show.

“I didn’t have sisters, but you guys sisters that I never knew that I needed,” Craig told Savannah and Hoda during the broadcast. “I’m beyond excited and grateful. I had a lot of conversations yesterday with a lot of people who mean a lot to me. I want to, obviously, thank NBC and the folks here who deemed me worthy.”

In addition to being a beloved broadcaster, Craig is a doting husband to wife Lindsay Czarniak and father to kids Delano, 10, and Sybil, 8.

“It means a lot to inherit this from you,” the dad of two told Hoda after the news was revealed on the talk show. “You’ve been the heart of this place for a long time. You helped save the show. You helped save the show.

Hoda will mark her official final episode of the show on January 10. She will still remain in the NBC family but shared that she will pursue a new avenue.

“I’m going to be in this space, and it hasn’t been fully formed,” the Hope Is a Rainbow author told Women’s Health in an interview published on October 31. “There’s no meat on the bones, but we are working towards some things that I think are going to be really exciting and fun. It’s about making wellness accessible to someone who’s never tried it.”

After she leaves Today, Hoda’s schedule will look a lot different, as she will not be waking up at the crack of dawn to host the show. The TV personality vows to spend more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope.

“If not for an alarm clock, when would you wake up? What is your body’s normal rhythm, and when does it want to wake up and go to bed? I’d like to know that,” she told the outlet. “I am so excited about being the mom who goes on the field trips. I am going to be the one who picks my kids up. I’m just excited about all of those things. It’s just a way of recalibrating life.”