“I was like, ‘Are they forcing you out?’ She’s like, ‘No Craig, I’m OK. I’m leaving,’” he recalled. “I was legit stunned, so much so that after she left, I went back to her dressing room, and I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ It takes a certain kind of courage to leave anything when you’re at the height of your game.”

Hoda Kotb announced her departure from the "Today" show and now, Craig Melvin will help helm the NBC morning show with Savannah Guthrie.

Craig Melvin was so shocked by the news of Hoda Kotb's Today show exit that he thought she was being 'forced out.'

Craig Melvin is grateful for his new role on Today, but he admitted there’s one part of the job that seriously “stinks.” The TV personality opened up about his early wake-up time and getting used to his new schedule as Hoda Kotb’s replacement.

Craig Melvin made his debut co-anchoring the 'Today' show with Savannah Guthrie on Monday, Jan. 13, after taking over the role from Hoda Kotb.

Hoda said she would put the letter for Craig in “a secret hiding place” so he could open it on his first day as co-anchor. Savannah knew where the secret hiding spot was, according to Hoda. “So just ask her,” she said.

New Today cohost Craig Melvin initially thought Hoda Kotb might be sick when she pulled him aside to tell him she was stepping down from the NBC morning show. "My dressing room is two over from hers,

Craig Melvin revealed he questioned Hoda Kotb about whether she chose to leave 'Today' when he learned of her exit from the NBC morning show

Craig Melvin's debut as co-anchor of Today proved to be an emotional one. On Monday, January 13, the 45-year-old broadcast journalist — who began his first day in his new gig — received a video message and a handwritten letter from his predecessor, Hoda Kotb, whose last day was Friday, January 10.

Craig Melvin made his official debut as a Today show co-anchor during the Monday, January 13, broadcast, and there was no shortage of emotion on the set. After a tribute video pla

Hoda Kotb celebrated her fresh start after leaving the 'Today' show and gave a shout-out to Craig Melvin as he takes over as coanchor

Teary-eyed, Melvin read aloud the letter Kotb wrote to him, which read: "I'm moving forward, so reach back your hand. Grab the baton, your world will expand. The adventures are endless, the people so dear. Great memories await, year after year."