Craig Melvin started his first day as Hoda Kotb‘s Today replacement on Jan. 13, but fast-forward to early February and viewers were surprised to see he was missing—so why was he absent?
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, Melvin was replaced by Peter Alexander—NBC News Chief White House Correspondent and a co-anchor for Today‘s Saturday show—during the 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. segment he usually hosts with Savannah Guthrie.
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Guthrie acknowledged his absence, telling her fill-in co-anchor, “Nice to have you with us, Peter,” before explaining to viewers, “Craig is on assignment in Milan.”
Naturally, Today viewers were curious about why Melvin was missing from the show, specifically, what he was doing in Milan.
On Feb. 6, Melvin, Guthrie and Carson Daly discussed the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic Games.
“He’s a giver,” Guthrie said of Melvin. “He’s gonna scope out the scene for us next week.”
Melvin confirmed he would be “taking one for the team” and “going to Italy next week and gonna give you a bit of a preview.”
Daly asked Melvin if he was packed and ready, to which Melvin responded, “I’ll be packing this weekend… before the Super Bowl.”
It’s unclear when Melvin will return to his regular co-hosting duties alongside Guthrie, but at least fans concerned about the reason for his absence could breathe a sigh of relief that all is well.
Hopefully, he has an amazing trip!
Next: Craig Melvin Reveals Who in His Family Is (Shockingly) Not a Swiftie: “Under No Circumstances!” (Exclusive)
