Dylan Dreyer and Al Roker were both missing from the Third Hour of Today on Tuesday, leaving Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones hosting alongside another familiar face.
The remaining anchors kicked off the show by explaining Al and Dylan’s whereabouts. While Al was “off,” Dylan was on assignment at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade float factory.
Instead, Savannah Sellers was back again to keep their seats warm, and was more than delighted to be there. “As Sheinelle likes to say, we have a cousin joining the show,” Craig said as he introduced Savannah.
“The official upgrade!” Savannah replied. “You’ve been promoted to cousin,” Craig added.
Savannah is an anchor on NBC Universal and often steps in for the Today Show anchors when they are off.
This has been a big year for the Today Show, as lots of changes have been made. In September, long-running anchor Hoda Kotb announced that she would be stepping down from the NBC show to focus more on her family life.
Her last day will be January 10 and she will be replaced on the main show by Craig, who will host alongside Savannah Guthrie.
© NBCJenna Bush Hager, meanwhile, will be taking center stage on the Fourth Hour show, with the name being changed from Today with Hoda & Jenna to Today with Jenna & Friends.
Craig was announced as Hoda’s replacement in November, and has received a mass of support from his Today co-stars and viewers around the country.
© NBCHe posted on social media following a whirlwind few days celebrating his new role: “As we head into the weekend, I wanted to let you know how genuinely grateful I am for this new opportunity at @todayshow.
“I’m also thankful for all of you who have called, posted, texted, and emailed your well wishes. My heart overflows with gratitude.”
© BravoCraig was announced as Hoda’s replacement on Thursday November 14, although he had been told about the decision several weeks earlier.
When the Today Show staffers were told on the morning of November 14, they broke into applause. During the announcement live on air, Craig told his co-stars that he was “beyond excited and grateful,” and that he wanted to “thank NBC and the folks here who deemed me worthy. … I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings, and this is the latest in a long line of blessings.”
Hoda, meanwhile, told Craig that he was “made for this job.” She added: “you are that kind of good. You have all the things that this job needs. You’re the right person for it.”
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