“You are literally made for this job,” she told him.”You are that kind of good. You have all the things that this job needs. You’re the right person for it.”

Melvin had some kind words for his predecessor as well. “To inherit this from you — You’ve been the heart of this place for a long time,” he gushed. “You helped save this show. You helped save this show, and to be able to sit next to someone who I knew was smart for years, and all of a sudden, you start working with her, and you’re like, wait a minute, she’s funny too.” He jokingly added, “I’ll try not to screw it up.”

Savannah Guthrie had been the one to share the big news, announcing, “Our dear friend, and talented, wonderful, hard-working, most worthy of this: Craig Melvin is the new anchor of the Today show.” She added, “This is one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made.”

“I am beyond excited and grateful. I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings, and this is the latest in a long line of blessings,” said Melvin, who will step in for Kotb beginning January 13, 2025.

Al Roker may not have been in the studio for the announcement, but he still joined in via a video call to congratulate Melvin. “I knew that this day would come. I am so proud and so happy for you right now, because you are so worthy of this. I almost don’t have the words,” he said.

Melvin appeared to be getting emotional as he thanked Roker, which led to Guthrie pulling out a celebratory box of tissues with the newly-announced anchor’s face on them. Sitting with Guthrie, Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager, and Sheinelle Jones, Melvin shared, “I want people to know — I didn’t have sisters, but you guys are the sisters that I never knew that I needed,” and Guthrie jokingly chimed in, “Or wanted!”

Quickly after the broadcast, clips from the emotional episode were added to Instagram, showing Melvin receiving a hug from Kotb, congratulations from Al Roker, and celebrating with the rest of his co-anchors. In one clip, Melvin can be seen wiping tears from his eyes as he stands alongside Carson Daly, Kotb, and Guthrie on the Today Plaza while surrounded by fans cheering his name.

Kotb’s last day as co-anchor of the Today show will be Friday, January 10. She first shared the news of her departure back in September, citing wanting more time with her children, the beginning of a new business venture, and feeling like she had reached the pinnacle of her career at Today.

“I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new,” Kotb had said. She also talked about spending more time with her kids, Haley, 7, and Hope, 5, whom she adopted with ex-fiancé Joel Schiffman.

“Obviously I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have. I feel like we only have a finite amount of time,” she explained.