All About Who's Replacing Hoda Kotb on TODAY (DETAILS)
A new era of TODAY begins January 13, 2025.
The search for Hoda Kotb's replacement is officially over — here's everything you need to know about the newest TODAY co-anchor.
As soon as Kotb emotionally announced her impending departure from the show, fans began theorizing who would fill her shoes on TODAY. Well, the rumor mill can finally stop: Kotb's replacement is already set in stone!
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Who is replacing Hoda Kotb on TODAY?
Beginning Monday, January 13, Craig Melvin will officially take over for Kotb, assuming co-anchor duties alongside Savannah Guthrie for the first two hours of TODAY each morning. Melvin is more than qualified for the job. He's a current co-host of the third hour of TODAY alongside Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones, and Dylan Dreyer, a position he'll keep moving forward, in fact.
Yes, Melvin will be an even busier man than usual come January 13!
"I am beyond excited and grateful," Melvin said when news broke of his promotion. "I've had a lot of conversations yesterday with a lot of people who mean a lot to me, and I just wanted to obviously thank NBC and the folks here who have deemed me worthy. I've enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest in a long line of blessings."
RELATED: Hoda Kotb Tells Seth Meyers What She Will (and Won't) Miss After Leaving TODAY
(Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fans will be disappointed to know that Mariska Hargitay will not replace Kotb, even though she (jokingly) teased fans that she would be doing just that in 2025.)
Nobody's been a bigger supporter of Melvin than Kotb herself, who was captured cheering him on after the announcement was made and giving him a sweet message of congratulations that still gets us emotional:
"Craig, you were made for this job," Kotb told TODAY's newest co-anchor. "You were literally made for this job. You are that kind of good. You have all the things that this job needs. You are the right person for it."
What a sweet moment between the two colleagues!
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The only downside to Melvin's exciting career move is that he'll have less time to babysit Dreyer's adorable kids. But on the upside, Kotb's schedule will be a little more open moving forward if she wants to be his replacement in that arena?
Who will replace Hoda Kotb on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna?
Of course, Kotb's departure means that there will also be a void to fill during the fourth hour of TODAY.
TODAY with Hoda & Jenna will officially transition into TODAY with Jenna & Friends as Jenna Bush Hager embarks on the search of a lifetime. Beginning January 13, Hager will begin to "audition" various co-hosts in hopes of finding a permanent partner that can fill Kotb's shoes. It will add a fascinating dynamic to TODAY's fourth hour, which has long been arguably the most entertaining one-hour block of TODAY.
In a way, Hager will be back on the dating scene for the first time in a long time. On November 14, she confessed to Kotb that the upcoming search for a new host had put her in an interesting mindset!
"I haven't dated in 20 years," Hager explained. "I met Hoda, I fell so madly in love with you so quickly. And we've had these years together which have been some of the best of my entire life. But here's the thing: it's time for me to get out there, guys. Y'all know the new trend, roster dating? That's what I'm gonna be doing."
Co-hosting TODAY's fourth hour means more than just being a smiling face next to Hager — Kotb's replacement will also be asked to put on their acting shoes once or twice or a hundred times — and maybe even release an original song one day!
