“I was like, ‘Are they forcing you out?’ She’s like, ‘No Craig, I’m OK. I’m leaving,’” he recalled. “I was legit stunned, so much so that after she left, I went back to her dressing room, and I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ It takes a certain kind of courage to leave anything when you’re at the height of your game.”

New Today cohost Craig Melvin initially thought Hoda Kotb might be sick when she pulled him aside to tell him she was stepping down from the NBC morning show. "My dressing room is two over from hers,

Craig Melvin made his debut co-anchoring the 'Today' show with Savannah Guthrie on Monday, Jan. 13, after taking over the role from Hoda Kotb.

Craig Melvin revealed he questioned Hoda Kotb about whether she chose to leave 'Today' when he learned of her exit from the NBC morning show

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.