NBC News has named its pick to replace Hoda Kotb on “Today” in 2025 — and it’s a face many viewers are already very familiar with.
Craig Melvin, who has served as the de facto third co-anchor for the show for years, typically joining Kotb and co-anchor Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk after the first half hour, though his name is not in the open and he is only typically introduced on-air briefly, will take over Jan. 13, 2025.
NBC’s announcement Nov. 14, 2024, also noted that Melvin is only anchoring the 7 to 8 a.m. hour of the broadcast.
It did not provide any details about talent for the second hour, which has typically included additional talent joining the desk for various segments, following the trend of morning shows having a core anchor team with a list of secondary talent who appear frequently.
Melvin is also still slated to remain on the third hour of the day, known as “Today 3rd Hour.”
The decision to move Melvin into Kotb’s chair was not surprising, given that he was been appearing almost daily for some time now, in what could have been seen as an attempt by NBC to help make him familiar with viewers. He has also filled in as co-anchor.
With this move, “Today” is returning to the traditional male-female anchor format for at least its first hour. “CBS Mornings” uses a trio of anchors — two male and one female — while “Good Morning America” has the same distribution.
It’s also worth noting that, assuming NBC continues its seating arrangements from before now-fired co-anchor Matt Lauer left, Melvin taking over Hoda’s camera right chair will retain the show’s longtime seating preference of female sitting camera left and male camera right. Meanwhile, NBC also announced that the fourth hour of the show, officially known as “Today with Hoda and Jenna,” will be renamed “Today with Jenna and Friends” and use a cast of guest co-anchors until a permanent choice is made to sit alongside Jenna Bush Hager.
Kotb’s last day on air on “Today” is Jan. 10, 2025.
NBC previously announced that Kotb would remain with NBC News in an undefined role and no further details about that were announced. NBC News did not immediately respond for a request for comment on this story.
Former “Today” co-anchor Ann Curry, who was displaced in a controversial 2012 shuffle that saw Guthrie ascend to the chair, had been given an “at large” anchor title and team of producers to generate stories for NBC News. She contributed several several reports and specials, including what was widely seen as an awkward report alongside Lauer during the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Her role was gradually diminished and she quietly left NBC News in 2015.
Melvin joined NBC News in 2011 after working South Carolina and Washington, D.C. He has anchored for MSNBC and reported on a wide variety of events for the network. In 2022, he stepped down from his “Craig Melvin Reports” show on MSNBC to focus more on “Today.”