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Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin had a big night out before their official debut as TODAY co-anchors on Jan. 13.
Savannah and Craig appeared on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” in Tampa with Mike Tirico at halftime.
“It’s a quick turnaround, but we can’t wait. Tomorrow’s a big morning,” Tirico said, before offering his congratulations to Craig.
“What better way, by the way, to spend the day before the first day of school?” said Craig, who takes over for Hoda Kotb.
“I’m beyond excited. I am stoked,” he added. “We know what the TODAY show has meant to this country for so many years and to be a part of that franchise and to be a part of that history and to do it sitting next to the big sister I never had every morning — dreams come true.”
Savannah and Craig were also interviewed by none other than Tirico while in Tampa for the NFL game, and their conversation aired on Jan. 13 for Craig’s first show.
Tirico joked that every four years in January, the term “smooth transition” often pops up, and said it looked like this was one of the smoothest transitions ever.
“Well, I’ll tell you why,” Savannah said through laughter. “Because he was elected by a super-super-supermajority.”
“He was the consensus choice. In fact, I would say it was never even a choice. It was obvious,” she added. “You know, we love Hoda. We tried to wrap our arms around her and give her the most beautiful goodbye through tears. And now we have tears because it’s tears of joy and gratitude, that sitting right next to us all this time has been Craig. He is a seamless transition. He is absolutely made for this job and made for this moment.”
Tirico compared Craig’s promotion to an assistant coach becoming a head coach in football, saying the sports term is “moving over one chair.”
“Hopefully it’s not going to feel that much different. I mean, I’ll get up a little earlier, you know?” Craig said. “Hoda gave some advice a few weeks ago that stayed with me: If you start changing things, that doesn’t really make a whole lot of sense, if who you’ve been and what you’ve done has gotten you to where you are.”
He added that while he may have to show up to work earlier, he plans to get Savannah a coffee every morning.
“I’ve been married a long time,” he said through laughter. “Got to keep Savannah happy every morning.”
The pair were then gifted two game balls honoring the matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Commanders. Washington prevailed 23-20 in the wild-card round.
During their halftime conversation with Tirico, Savannah previewed what their first day had in store.
“It’s going to be momentous for Craig, but also for us,” Savannah said. “We have so much gratitude that the perfect person for this job has been sitting right one chair over for the past seven years. It’s beautiful. We’ve got a couple surprises for you.”
Before the 8 p.m. ET kickoff for the Buccaneers and Commanders, Craig and Savannah soaked up Raymond James Stadium.
“I am here not to watch the game, no, no, no, I’m here to celebrate our new beginnings,” Craig said in a video shared to the official NBC Sports Instagram.
“There’s only one way to celebrate,” Savannah said. “We’re on ‘Sunday Night Football!'”
Craig steps into the anchor chair left by Hoda, who departed TODAY Jan. 10 after 17 years with a moving and tearful “Hoda-bration” for her last show.
Craig was named TODAY co-anchor in November 2024. He will continue to serve as co-host of the 3rd hour of TODAY.
“I am beyond excited and grateful,” Craig said at the time about his new role. “This is the latest in a long line of blessings.”
Maddie Ellis is a weekend editor at TODAY Digital.
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