“I’m moving forward, so reach back your hand. Grab the baton, your world will expand. The adventures are endless, the people so dear. Great memories await, year after year,” the emotional letter read, in part.
Craig Melvin had an emotional first day on the job.
Melvin made his debut of co-anchor on the Today show alongside Savannah Guthrie Monday, taking over the role from Hoda Kotb, who made her final appearance after her 17-year-run on Friday.
The show began hyping up the longtime news anchor, with Guthrie kicking things off by having the Today‘s announcer repeating Melvin’s name multiple times to mark the occasion.
“You’ve sat there so many times but this morning is special,” Guthrie told Melvin of the co-anchor desk. “Let’s go, this is going to be a beautiful ride.”
“Let’s go. And there’s no one I would rather ride with than you,” Melvin agreed. “So let’s do this.”
Encouraging Melvin throughout the broadcast, Guthrie told her co-host, “You’re crushing it!” prior to the show’s pre-recorded interview with sports commentator Mike Tirico.
The “Melvinators” were also out in full force to cheer Melvin on for his first day, with the broadcast showing the many fans who traveled from all over the country to support him on his first day.
While the show very much served as a celebration of Melvin, with one segment featuring Melvin’s many career highlights, even some from his early days in broadcast journalism, Melvin took a moment to pay homage to his predecessor after learning that Kotb had pre-recorded an encouraging message for his first day.
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Teary-eyed, Melvin read aloud the letter Kotb wrote to him, which read: “I’m moving forward, so reach back your hand. Grab the baton, your world will expand. The adventures are endless, the people so dear. Great memories await, year after year.”
The letter continued, “Day One! You are ready surrounded by love. Your team is the kind you can only dream of. Savannah, Al [Roker] and Carson [Daly] are here! With partners like these, your runway is clear. From out on the plaza, to inside 30 Rock, your fans are so eager, they’re watching the clock. The time has arrived to rise like the sun. I am cheering for you, and a fabulous run!”
Elsewhere in the episode, Melvin’s wife Lindsay Czarniak, their two children Delano and Sybil, plus his mother Betty Jo, father Lawrence and brother Ryan all appeared onscreen to celebrate his exciting new chapter. Melvin’s former Columbia High School principal, joined by Rick Henry and current students and staff, flooded the gymnasium to wish him a cheery “good luck.”
He then got a warm hello from his colleagues at NBC4 Washington, where he met Czarniak. His former NBC family told him he’d “always have a home” there.
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Melvin was then greeted by members of his Wofford College community, who informed him that Jan. 13 would officially be declared Craig Melvin Day. The Wofford family then sang their collegiate song.
Kotb first announced her departure in September 2024 and Melvin was named as her replacement two months later. On the Nov. 14 episode, Kotb praised Melvin and shared how excited she was to see him in the role.
“You are made for this job,” she told Melvin. “You are literally made for this job. You are that kind of good. You have all the things that this job needs. You’re the right person for it.”
“It means a lot to inherit this from you. You helped save the show and to be able to sit next to someone who I knew was smart for years and all of a sudden you start working with her and you’re like, ‘Wait a minute, she’s funny too!,'” Melvin said, returning the appreciation.
During the Nov. 14 announcement, Melvin took time to reflect on everything and everyone who helped get him to this place.
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“I am beyond excited and grateful,” he said. “I want to thank NBC and the folks here who deemed me worthy. And I have to start by thanking the man upstairs, thank you my Lord above and his son Jesus. I enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings. I talked to mom and dad yesterday and I’m grateful they’re still young enough to see this and enjoy the fruits of their labor.”
He then thanked his father, who was born in prison and overcame addiction, and his mother, who worked a second job and “sacrificed” to provide for his family. He also acknowledged his kids and wife for being there for him during the “long days and short nights” throughout his career.
“[Lindsay’s] been there for me from the beginning,” Melvin gushed, adding: “People see us on TV every morning, what they don’t see are the folks behind these cameras and downstairs. We have the best team in television news and it’s an honor to be a part of that.”
“I’ll try not to screw it up!,” he joked.
Kotb, meanwhile, celebrated her first day off by turning off her early 3:15 a.m. alarm and getting some extra shut eye. As for how she planned to spend the day, she previously told E! News that she was going to sleep in till at least 5:15, take a workout class and be home in time to make breakfast for daughters, Haley, 8, and Hope, 5.
The Today show airs weekdays on NBC beginning at 7:00 a.m. ET.
