WHERE DID HE GO Craig Melvin DISAPPEARS From Today Show Without NOTICE As Savannah REVEALS UNEXPECTED REASON That SHOCKS Viewers

Craig Melvin was absent from the Today show(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
He’s the familiar face fans are used to seeing on their screens – so when Craig Melvin was absent from the Today show, there were naturally questions.

Luckily, his co-star Suzannah Guthrie jumped straight in to offer an explanation as to why he was replaced by Peter Alexander. Craig, who recently stepped in to replace Hoda Kotb on the Today show, had actually been ill.

Savannah explained that her co-star had tested positive for the flu and was at home resting. “We’ve got Peter in for Craig,” began Savannah, before joking that Craig’s illness coincides with his college basketball team, Wofford, winning the Southern Conference Tournament championship on Monday.

She said: “I mean, you decide, he did test positive for the flu. However, it coincides with Wofford winning last night so maybe he stayed up and watched the game.” Meanwhile TV viewers have been delighted to see a lot more of Craig on their screens. Craig Melvin has said it was an “honor” to be asked to step in and replace Hoda Kotb on the Today show.

The real reason Craig Melvin absent from The Today show as Savannah Guthrie explains mystery(Image: Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
Hoda stepped down in January after almost 18 years on the program, having made the decision to leave when she turned 60 last summer. Craig had been working as a news anchor for Today and co-hosted the show’s third hour.

He now appears alongside Savannah Guthrie in the mornings and has opened up about how it’s going so far. “There are so few truly venerable institutions left in television, and being part of one isn’t something I take lightly. It’s the professional honor of a lifetime,” he gushed.

Craig said he never thought he would make it to the popular morning segment. “But then one day, I got the call that Hoda Kotb was leaving, and I just thought, ‘Wow, this might actually be happening,’” he revealed.

Speaking to Westport Magazine, Craig admitted he had underestimated the popularity of the show. He explained, “You don’t fully grasp the magnitude of the show’s reach until you experience it firsthand, you know?”

He joked, “It hits you when a random person in Ohio or an airport in Florida stops you and says, I remember your first show. Seeing your mom on was such a beautiful moment. And that’s when it really sinks in — Oh my god. People watch. Millions of people are watching and listening every morning.”

He also described the show as a “generational experience” and said he hopes to bring his own spin to Today, highlighting the joys of fatherhood. Craig shared, “Fatherhood is something I care deeply about, and I think there’s space for more conversations around it.”