Craig Melvin shares true thoughts on major Today shake-up: ‘This might actually be happening’

It’s been a month and a half since Craig Melvin stepped in as the co-anchor of NBC’s Today alongside Savannah Guthrie.

Craig, 45, replaced longtime anchor Hoda Kotb, who left Today after 17 years with the network and is now enjoying a suburban life with her two young daughters.

In a new interview with Westport Magazine, the NBC veteran spoke about getting the call about Hoda’s departure, being content with his previous position on the show, and what it really felt like to take her place.

“There are so few truly venerable institutions left in television, and being part of one isn’t something I take lightly,” he reflected. “It’s the professional honor of a lifetime.”

“Honestly, I never thought I would be the guy to sit in this seat — I was happy in my role. But then one day, I got the call that Hoda Kotb was leaving, and I just thought, Wow, this might actually be happening.”

He explained that he didn’t fully realize the “magnitude” of the change on the show until strangers started coming up to him and saying they recognized him from the show.

“You don’t fully grasp the magnitude of the show’s reach until you experience it firsthand, you know?” Craig added. “It hits you when a random person in Ohio or an airport in Florida stops you and says, I remember your first show. Seeing your mom on was such a beautiful moment.”

“And that’s when it really sinks in — Oh my god. People watch. Millions of people are watching and listening every morning.”

MORE: Today’s Craig Melvin questions Savannah Guthrie’s marriage after Valentine’s confession

The dad-of-three further reflected on the idea of being one of the leading faces of a show that has been on the air for more than seven decades. “I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. My mom was a schoolteacher, my dad was a mail clerk — none of what has happened in my life was ever supposed to happen.” 

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“It’s all just wild. And every few years, I find myself stepping back, thinking, Holy crap. This is amazing,” he mused.

MORE: Craig Melvin ‘sent packing’ in Today host switch-up

“And when I open the plaza in the morning at 8:30 a.m. I joke with Al Roker about this all the time — someone will come up to him and say, My grandma watched you 30 years ago!” Craig continued. 

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“And we both know their grandma has been gone for 10 years. But that’s when you realize — you’re part of something bigger. TODAY isn’t just a show; it’s a generational experience. And that means a lot.”

MORE: Craig Melvin makes on-air blunder involving former Today co-star Hoda Kotb

When asked about his goals for the show, Craig expressed an interest in enhancing perspectives on the daily headlines and making sports a greater focus, but his primary goal? Highlighting fatherhood.

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“We know that TODAY’s morning audience is largely women — our research tells us that,” he explained. “But I’d argue there are a lot of guys watching, too, and I want to reach them. Fatherhood is something I care deeply about, and I think there’s space for more conversations around it.”