Savannah Guthrie will be “in charge” of how long Craig Melvin lasts as co-host of her Today show, according to sources who say NBC will “make a quick change” if Guthrie doesn’t believe the chemistry is there.
It was announced Thursday morning that the 45-year-old host would take over from long-serving host Hoda Kotb, 60, after her final episode on Jan. 10.
During the announcement, Guthrie was full of praise for her new co-host, while fans of the Today show flocked to social media to express their joy at Melvin’s promotion.
However, an insider revealed exclusively to DailyMail.com that Melvin’s time in the role would largely be down to Guthrie giving her full approval.
“NBC and the show love Craig. He is loved, but when push comes to shove, Savannah is in charge and has the upper hand,” the source explained. ‘They are now going to wait and see whether the chemistry is there. If the chemistry isn’t there, they’ll change it and the one that won’t be there is Craig.”
The insider continued, “Anyone in that position needs to align themselves with Savannah, and they’re hoping it’s Craig, but they’ll make a change pretty quickly if it doesn’t work out.”
Savannah Guthrie will be ‘in charge’ of how long her new co-host Craig Melvin lasts as co-host of her Today show
It was announced Thursday morning that the host, 45, would take over from long-serving host Hoda Kotb, 60, after her final episode on Jan. 10.
To further emphasize the power Guthrie currently enjoys at the network, the source said, “When Savannah Guthrie goes for her next contract, she wants a big raise, and all signs point to her getting one.
“She has a lot of power at NBC, they want to keep her for a long time.”
Noting that Hoda had no role in the decision-making process, the source stated, “Hoda will still be around and do things from time to time, but she’s definitely looking forward to her next chapter.”
‘She has no say in replacements and does not want to. She’s ready to move on, even though she loved every minute of it.”
Elsewhere, the insider provided more insight into the decision to have Jenna Bush Hager headline her own new show in the fourth hour.
Renamed Today with Jenna & Friends, the 42-year-old will be joined by “a rotating cast of fill-in co-hosts until a permanent host is named.”
The insider explained how inspiration was drawn from Live! as they said, “Jenna and Friends will be used to find Hoda’s permanent replacement, kind of like what was done with Kelly Ripa when they were looking for her new co-host on Live!”
“Hoda created that show, and now that she’s not there, it’s going to be a huge struggle, but they’re going to give it a chance and NBC is looking for someone with a big following.
The source explained, “NBC and the show love Craig. He is loved, but when push comes to shove, Savannah is in charge and has the upper hand.”
The source noted that Hoda has played no role in the decision-making process: “She has no say in replacements and does not want to, she is ready to move on”
The source continued, “They want to make a real Ryan Seacrest-type impression, someone with star power to eventually get the gig.
“Whoever gets it will have some huge shoes to fill with what Hoda brought to the show, but they will find the person.”
So far, it is believed that Sheinelle Jones will likely land the coveted position, as the source explained: “Sheinelle Jones has the best chance to land the gig for Jenna and Friends. They will have Kaylee Hartung, Savannah Sellers and Laura Jarrett on the show, but they probably won’t get the gig.
“They just love those three and know they would be great for the show and with Jenna, but not as a permanent replacement. Sheinelle or some other outside star are the frontrunners.”
Amid the changes announced this week, fans made it clear that they couldn’t be more excited to see Melvin take over from Hoda.
They flooded social media with congratulations when someone enthusiastically responded to X: ‘A GREAT choice! Congratulations Craig! So happy for you and the Today Show fans!”
Elsewhere, the insider provided further insight into the decision to allow Jenna Bush Hager to headline her own new show in the fourth hour while they search for a new co-host.
The source said, “Hoda created that show, and now that she’s not on it, it’s going to be a huge uphill battle…NBC is looking for someone with a big following.”
Another said: ‘Congratulations, Craig! Well deserved. I think you’ll do a great job, although I still think you would have been a perfect choice for Jeopardy host.”
A third continued: “Congratulations to South Carolina’s very own Craig Melvin! What a huge achievement!’
“Craig Melvin is the perfect person to fill this role. Congratulations!’ said a fourth.
During Thursday’s episode, Guthrie noted that Melvin’s new role is “one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made.”
Turning to Kotb, she said, “Although you are irreplaceable, we are so excited about the news in our Today family and that is the person sitting next to me, our dear friend and talented, amazing, hardworking, most worthy of this . Craig Melvin is the new anchor of the Today show.
“And let me just say that the staff, the bigger staff, found out this morning, and the people burst into applause. This is one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made.”