Backstory: TODAY Co-Host Passed Over for Teary Interview

TODAY co-host Craig Melvin was reportedly “absolutely devastated” after NBC chose Hoda Kotb — not him — to conduct Savannah Guthrie’s first interview about her missing mother, insiders told the Daily Mail.

Craig Melvin

Insiders told the Daily Mail Melvin, the Today show co-anchor since 2018, expected to handle Guthrie’s interview ;ast week about her 84-year-old mother, Nancy, who disappeared Feb. 1, and viewed it as a career-defining moment. Executives instead selected Kotb, who had been filling in, leaving Melvin surprised and upset, sources said.

Colleagues described him as shaken and questioning his role after being bypassed; one insider said he felt he “had earned that spot” after replacing Kotb when she stepped back in 2025. Another source said Melvin was not even asked to conduct the interview, which compounded his frustration.

The reported snub has prompted concern among staff about Melvin’s confidence and future on the show, with sources saying the episode transformed him from “confident to uncertain overnight.” NBC did not immediately comment.