The Fourth of July brought a shake-up at NBC as The Today Show’s regular hosts, Craig Melvin and Savannah Guthrie, were replaced by the Weekend Today anchors during Friday’s episode.
Peter Alexander and Laura Jarrett took the reins during the first two hours in Studio 1A — and fortunately for viewers, the pair are no strangers to filling in for the fan-favorite anchors. The pair opened the show and updated the audience on Craig and Savannah’s absences.
“Thanks for joining us on a Friday morning,” said Peter. “I’m Peter Alexander alongside my friend Laura Jarret. Savannah and Craig are enjoying this holiday. The skies will be the stage so no one needs to go to the theater right now.”
The hosts were later joined on the show by NBC correspondent Joe Fryer. However, Craig made a surprise appearance during the Third Hour as he starred alongside his regular co-hosts Al Roker and Dylan Dreyer. The trio welcomed the show with a few celebratory drinks.
© NBC“Happy birthday America,” said Craig.
“We even have some drinks here to celebrate,” added Al. “This is a strawberry watermelon tequila spritz.”
“Have we ever had a bad drink here?” asked Dylan, as she sipped on her cocktail.
The trio then revealed their Fourth of July plans and discussed the firework displays that take place. “Our little town put on a fireworks show. The first year we lived in the town they were like we’re going to the beach for the fireworks show,” shared Craig.
© NBC“It goes on for 25 minutes. I’ve lived in D.C for three years, this show on the beach is just as good and it’s free. We do that every year.”
Dylan then shared that she will take part in the Macy’s Fourth of July fireworks. “You [Al] and I have done it for a couple years. When you are that close to the fireworks, you feel it in your chest, you feel your whole body shake. So, I can’t wait for the boys to experience that.” she said.
The event will feature live performances from Lenny Kravitz, the Jonas Brothers, and Trisha Yearwood. “This display is going to feature thousands of fireworks. I think they’ve got different colors of fireworks,” shared Al.
© Instagram“They’ve got a special display going on over the Brooklyn Bridge with a live two-hour event that starts at 8pm EST on NBC.”
The trio concluded the conversation by sharing their favourite types of fireworks as Dyland admitted she likes the “banana” shaped ones whereas Craig said he enjoys the ones that “go up and rain down slowly”.
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