Craig Melvin was so shocked by the news of Hoda Kotb's Today show exit that he thought she was being 'forced out.'

Melvin began his new role by telling audiences how grateful and excited he was to sit in the host seat. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. "You've sat there so many times but this morning is special.

Craig Melvin revealed he questioned Hoda Kotb about whether she chose to leave 'Today' when he learned of her exit from the NBC morning show

Hoda Kotb put her writing skills to good use before leaving TODAY by penning a letter to her successor. Ahead of Hoda’s last day on Jan. 10, she wrote a heartfelt poem to Craig Melvin for him to read as he takes over as co-anchor of TODAY alongside Savannah Guthrie on Jan. 13.

Craig Melvin shined during his first day on the job as Hoda Kotb’s replacement on Today on Monday. The NBC personality sat next to Savannah Guthrie at the news desk to welcome viewers to the program during the first episode since Hoda’s departure.

Craig Melvin's debut as co-anchor of Today proved to be an emotional one. On Monday, January 13, the 45-year-old broadcast journalist — who began his first day in his new gig — received a video message and a handwritten letter from his predecessor, Hoda Kotb, whose last day was Friday, January 10.

Though Hoda Kotb has officially left Today, her presence is still heavily felt around the show’s set! The longtime TV host wrote a letter to Craig Melvin, who replaced her in the coanchor seat on the program on Monday.

It’s the dawn of a new day at The Today Show amid the 2025 TV schedule, as longtime co-host Hoda Kotb officially signed off on January 10. Succeeding her in that post is fellow series alum Craig Melvin, who’ll be sharing the desk with Savannah Guthrie.

Craig Melvin reveals that his wife Lindsay Czarniak and mom Betty Melvin were the only people he was allowed to tell that he'd succeed Hoda Kotb on 'Today.'

Hoda Kotb left her TODAY family with full hearts and years of fond memories — but she also left behind some gross mementos, as Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin revealed during their Tonight Show visit on January 15.

Guthrie is now entering her 14th year with the Today show, and she worked alongside Kotb during that entire period. When it came time for her longtime colleague — and close friend — to finally sign off the air for the final time on Jan. 10, it was an emotional moment.