“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.”

Melvin was surprised by his family and friends during a special segment commemorating his first day It’s Craig Melvin’s first day on the job! The anchor made his debut as co-anchor of the Today show alongside Savannah Guthrie on Monday,

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