Al Roker embraced the festive spirit on the December 12 episode of the TODAY Show, surprising his co-stars Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer with Christmas gifts.
The hosts were discussing the White House festive ornaments when Al shared his presents. “I’m gonna gift each one of you, here you go. There’s one for you.” “I’ll take the whole tree,” joked Dylan. “This is great, thank you Al,” said Craig. The decorations included red plaque cards embossed with the White House crest, hanging ornaments, and a mini Christmas tree in a red vase.
However, the meteorologist couldn’t help but make a cheeky dig at his co-host. “Here’s something for you Craig since you’re so prickly,” said Al as he handed a mini Christmas tree over to his co-star. “I didn’t mean to needle you.”
“Thank you,” replied Craig as his co-hosts bursted into laughter. “Somebody’s going to get hurt here,” added Dylan.
Al and Craig’s onscreen relationship
Craig joined as a regular host on the NBC show following Hoda Kotb’s departure in January 2025. He has been part of the team for years, but his permanent position was a huge move. Craig exclusively spoke with us and talked about the learning curve that comes with becoming a big daytime co-host. He expressed: “It’s just a lot. There’s a lot about the job that you don’t really understand or appreciate until you have the job.”Craig continued: “Like there are luncheons or meetings or Q&A sessions with different groups and you’re like, ‘Why is this on the calendar? Like why do we do this?'”
© NBCThe TV star recalled the moment he understood the show’s traditions and expressed: “Oh yeah, the Today show host has done it for 25 years and so you don’t wanna be the guy, the first guy who doesn’t do it.” He added: “It’s funny because I’ll find myself sometimes in meetings. I’m like, ‘Why am I here? Like what purpose am I serving?'”
Since his permanent role, Craig and Al have enjoyed a playful relationship and often jokingly call each other out on the show. Craig recognized that he is now a part of the show’s legacy and added: “Now my name’s on the door. And then, you have these people that show up sometimes at your office and you find yourself talking to them. Because [you’re part of the legacy now.] At first I was like, ‘Well this is strange,’ and then after a while you’re like, ‘This is actually really cool that we still do this because we’ve always done this.'”
Al also spoke with us about his colleague Hoda’s departure as lead co-anchor, and the strong foundation the Today family has always had no matter what gets thrown their way. “The great thing about the Today Show” is that “the sum is greater than its equal parts,” he shared.
© Getty ImagesGushing over the likes of fellow anchors Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones, Laura Jarrett, Peter Alexander and Willie Geist, he said: “They’ve all subbed, they’ve all stepped in, and we don’t miss a beat.”
“So no matter what happens, we’re going to be in great shape,” Al ensured, noting that the show, which has been on the air since 1952, is “built to evolve.”
He further reflected: “Each one of us is very fortunate to be in this position, for however long we have, and then we pass the baton off to somebody else. So the future of the show is just as strong and bright no matter who steps in.”
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