Craig Melvin Tapped to Co-Anchor TODAY SHOW: ‘Thanking My Lord Above’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Craig Melvin is grateful to God and the sacrifices of his family that have brought him to where he is today — an exciting new position on the TODAY SHOW.
“The person sitting right next to me — our dear friend and talented, wonderful, hard-working, most worthy of this — Craig Melvin is the new anchor of the TODAY SHOW!” cohost Savannah Guthrie announced.
Melvin will replace the current cohost, Hoda Kotb, “as the lead co-anchor on the first hour of TODAY when she retires in January 2025.” Kotb’s last day will be Jan. 10.
READ MORE: TODAY HOST LEAVES SHOW SO SHE CAN BE AN ‘EXCELLENT’ MOM
“I am beyond excited and grateful, and I just had a lot of conversations yesterday with a lot of people who mean a lot to me,” Melvin said. “And I just want to…obviously thank NBC and the folks here who’ve ‘deemed’ me worthy. But I got to start by thanking the man upstairs, thanking my Lord above and his son Jesus. I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings. And this is the latest in a long line of blessings. And I talked to mom and dad yesterday, and I’m thankful that they’re still young enough and healthy enough to be able to see this and enjoy the fruits of their labor.”
Melvin explained how he comes from a long line of hardships and difficulties and how his family defied the odds despite their circumstances.
“You all know my backstory. My mother’s mother was an elementary school custodian, and my father’s mother had to take care of five kids, so she ran numbers and ran liquor for a long time, ended up in prison and my dad was born in prison,” he explained. “That didn’t define him, he overcame addictions in his life and has become one of my favorite human beings. And my mom at one point picks up a second job to sacrifice and provide for our family, so I’m grateful to them.”
Melvin also thanked his wife for her support along the way.
Melvin also released a children’s book earlier this year.
The TODAY anchor explained that he decided to “write some of this stuff down,” adding that, as he got older, the things Melvin was finding pride in were “not just the stuff he can do. It’s the kind of person he’s becoming.”
READ MORE: TODAY’S CRAIG MELVIN WANTS TO ‘CELEBRATE PARENTHOOD’ WITH NEW BOOK
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