Craig Melvin Set To Replace Hoda Kotb On ‘Today’ As NBC Unveils Plans For Her Retirement

Craig Melvin will be moving on up to the first hours of The Today Show as Hoda Kotb‘s official replacement, NBC announced.

Per Variety, Melvin will be hosting the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. hours of the broadcast with Savannah Guthrie after Kotb retires from the show early next year.

Melvin has been on the network since 2011 when he started as a weekend anchor. He currently hosts the third hour of Today and is an anchor on MSNBC Live and Dateline NBC.

NBC also unveiled some of its plans for Kotb’s retirement. Kotb announced on the program Thursday that her official last day on the show will be Friday, Jan. 10. Her 26-year-long career at NBC will be celebrated in her final days on the broadcast, according to Today.com.

While Melvin has been named as her replacement in the first hours of Today, it remains to be seen who will fill in for Kotb on Today With Hoda & Jenna, the 10 a.m. hour she co-hosts with Jenna Bush Hager.

It looks like the network is in no rush to find someone to fill in for Kotb there.

Photo: Nathan Congleton/NBC

Today With Hoda & Jenna will instead be rebranded into Today With Jenna & Friends beginning Jan. 13 until a permanent co-host is named.

The new format will feature a rotating panel of hosts, from familiar faces to celebrities, who will have to go toe-to-toe with Bush Hager’s edgy sense of humor.

Kotb announced her retirement Sept. 26. While it was not an easy decision for her to make, she said her recent milestone birthday made her reflect on how she wanted to spend the next few years of her life.

“I know I’m making the right decision, but it’s a painful one. And you all are the reason why. They say two things can be right at the same time, and I’m feeling that so deeply right now,” she said in a letter to NBC staff, per Today.com. “I love you and it’s time for me to leave the show.”

Kotb will reportedly “remain part of the NBC family” in some capacity after she retires in January.

It is likely that we will one day see Kotb again on Today. Her former co-host, Kathie Lee Gifford, regularly stops by Today With Hoda & Jenna to promote her personal projects since leaving the broadcast in 2019.

Melvin’s first day on the job will likely be Monday, Jan. 13.