Craig Melvin Feared ‘Today’ Show Was ‘Forcing Out’ Hoda Kotb When She Announced Exit

Long before he was named the new co-anchor of the Today show, Craig Melvin was left completely shocked by Hoda Kotb‘s decision to leave the program. In an interview with Parade, the journalist opened up about how he reacted to first hearing about Kotb’s decision — and how he wasn’t convinced that she was the instigator.

Melvin explained that Kotb knocked on the door of his dressing room one morning, “which was unusual,” and asked him to speak for a moment. “She came in, and she said, ‘I just wanted to tell you something. I’m leaving,'” Melvin recalled. “And my initial reaction was, ‘Are you sick? Is everything OK?’ I was like, ‘Well, no one leaves these jobs on their own.'”

Kotb told Melvin that it was “time” for her to move on because she wanted to “leave on top,” but he wasn’t convinced. “I was like, ‘Are they forcing you out?'” he admitted, adding that he was “legit stunned” by the declaration. “After she left, I went back to her dressing room, and I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re OK?'” he continued. “It takes a certain kind of courage to leave anything when you’re at the height of your game.”

Today confirmed Kotb’s exit in September 2024 and Melvin was announced as her successor less than two months later. He made his debut as co-anchor on January 13 alongside Savannah Guthrie, who has been co-hosting the morning show since 2012.

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Meanwhile, Guthrie said she was “shocked and not shocked” by Kotb’s decision to leave. The women had been working as co-anchors since 2018. “Hoda and I have talked for years about our dreams and part two of [our lives], and what it’s like to transition and be bold,” Guthrie explained. “I knew it was in her heart. She’s as popular as ever. She’s as good as it gets. And she’s saying, ‘No, I think I’ll go into the great unknown.’ And I find that so amazing.”

Kotb quit in order to spend more time with her daughters, Haley and Hope, and to focus on developing a wellness app, which she hopes to launch in the spring.