Hoda Kotb is reuniting with Savannah Guthrie at the anchor desk while Melvin steps away for a spring
Craig Melvin is stepping away from the Today show anchor desk for a brief stretch this week, giving the longtime co-host a much-needed chance to recharge after an extended run of holding down the morning program largely on his own. His absence, beginning April 13, comes with a fan-favorite face stepping in to fill the void beside Savannah Guthrie — one that regular viewers have been happy to see whenever she returns.
Why Craig Melvin is taking time away from Today
Melvin’s absence from the anchor desk this week comes down to something simple: he is on vacation. Guthrie broke the news during the April 9 broadcast, making clear that her co-host had more than earned some time away after a sustained stretch of keeping the morning show running. The announcement carried a lighthearted tone on air, with Guthrie teasing that a new face would be taking the Monday seat and Melvin making it clear that he planned to completely disconnect from work, including staying away from the television entirely. Guthrie gave her full endorsement of that approach.
Melvin has been co-anchoring Today since January 2025, making this one of his first real breaks from the role. He did not share any information about where he plans to spend the time off, keeping the details of his spring break largely to himself.
A turbulent few months at the Today anchor desk
Melvin’s week away arrives in the middle of a stretch that has kept the Today anchor desk in a near-constant state of flux. Guthrie herself was off the air for an extended period earlier this year following a deeply personal situation — her mother, Nancy Guthrie, disappeared from her home in Arizona in early February 2026. The family has been living through an ongoing search ever since, with the situation still unresolved at the time of Guthrie’s return.
While Guthrie was away, the show leaned on a rotating lineup of trusted broadcast veterans to keep things running. Hoda Kotb, Sheinelle Jones and Laura Jarrett each took turns anchoring alongside the show’s other hosts, providing continuity during an uncertain period for the program. Guthrie returned to the desk on April 6, calling it a relief to be back in a setting that felt familiar and grounding. Her comeback came just days before Melvin’s break was announced, giving the lineup barely any time to settle before another change arrived.
Jones also recently took a spring break of her own, with a guest rotation covering her duties on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, the fourth-hour program she co-hosts with Jenna Bush Hager. Between all of the absences, the Today lineup has been anything but predictable in recent weeks.
Hoda Kotb steps back into a familiar role
The anchor filling in for Melvin is Kotb, who concluded her long tenure as a Today co-host in January 2025 after years as one of the show’s most beloved faces. Though she stepped back from the full-time role, she has quietly remained a part of the Today family, returning on multiple occasions to fill in for Guthrie during her time away from the desk.
Her reunion with Guthrie this week carries its own particular warmth. The two anchored together for years and built the kind of easy rapport that does not fade, which makes Kotb a reliable and reassuring presence whenever the show calls on her. The playful exchange between Guthrie and Melvin on air when the announcement was made only reinforced the sense that everyone involved is comfortable with the arrangement.
When Craig Melvin will return
Melvin is expected to be back at the Today anchor desk on Monday, April 20, 2026. His break is short, and with Kotb handling the seat in the meantime, the show remains in capable hands. For viewers who have weathered months of anchor shuffles and unexpected absences, his return and the promise of a steadier lineup will be a genuinely welcome development.
Source: PEOPLE, reporting by Jordana Comiter