NEW YORK — Craig Melvin will replace Hoda Kotb as the co-host of the "Today" show, NBC announced Thursday.
Kotb will leave "Today" in January after nearly two decades on the morning program.
Melvin, currently a news anchor on "Today" and a co-host of the 3rd hour of "Today," will co-anchor alongside Savannah Guthrie for the 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. hours beginning Jan. 13.
Kotb will remain as co-anchor until Jan. 10. She said she made the decision to step down after she turned 60 in August.
“I am beyond excited and grateful,” Melvin said. “I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings.”
“You have all the things this job needs,” Kotb said to Melvin. “You are the right person for it.”
Kotb has co-anchored "Today" with Savannah Guthrie since early 2018, becoming the first all-female anchor team.
"My heart is honestly bursting," said Lindsay Czarniak, Melvin's wife and sportscaster, on Instagram.
"Craig Melvin - I am so proud of you and so beyond grateful for the man you are. I almost announced the Today Show news on the intercom so the fellow passengers on my plane would know why I'm crying.
"I am overwhelmed by the emotions that have come along with watching this morning’s announcement of you being named the new co-host of the 'Today' show. I think seeing the news become official alongside your TV family has made it hit home even more what a true blessing this is."
