Craig Melvin’s Wife and Kids Surprise Him During 1st Episode as Hoda Kotb’s ‘Today’ Replacement

Craig Melvin was brought to tears when his family surprised him during his first episode of Today as Savannah Guthrie’s coanchor. The sweet interaction was caught on camera.

In a video posted on Today’s official Instagram account on Monday, January 13, Craig sat next to his cohosts on the couch in the studio before his family walked out onto the stage. His kids, Delano and Sybil, led the charge, along with his wife, Lindsay Czarniak, his parents, Lawrence and Betty Jo, and brother Ryan.

Craig, 45, was visibly emotional from the sweet surprise. He stood up to hug all of his family members. Lindsay, 47, gave him a kiss before she went to hug the other cohosts. Everyone posed for a photo together on the Today stage.

“When I left this morning, you were all in bed!” Craig said to his family, audibly stunned.

“We faked it,” Lindsay remarked.

Delano adorably wore a suit and had a microphone clipped on, just like his dad.

“Oh, you got a microphone, buddy,” the dad of two told his son, to which Delano, 10, replied, “I’m professional!”

Delano shared adorable praise for his dad, saying, “He’s a great dad, and he deserves to be here today.”

Sybil, 8, wrote a note to share what she loves about her dad. “My dad loves to play with me. He loves tickle fights and he watches TV shows with me,” she read off of a piece of paper.

The South Carolina native was touched to hear the comment from his kids.

Craig sat in the coanchor chair for the first time on Monday morning with Savannah by his side after Hoda Kotb’s departure from Today on January 10. His family, friends and colleagues could not be happier for him in his new position after cementing his status as a favorite on NBC over the years.

“It’s surreal, and to me, it symbolizes belief because you know, you dare to dream a dream and then to see it actually come true, it makes me think about a spouse making it to the Super Bowl, or like, the game-winning catch. That’s what this feels like,” Lindsay said of watching her husband take on this new position.

Craig’s mom was also thrilled for her son in this new chapter in his career. “We didn’t know if he was going to be a preacher, a politician or a journalist,” she quipped.

“I have butterflies in my stomach today,” Betty Jo explained, saying that her son is “always doing his very best.”

“He deserves this,” she continued. “I love you.”

In addition to messages of support from his family and fans, Hoda, 60, also appeared in a prerecorded video to wish Craig luck on his first day as her replacement.

“Craig-or!” the Hope Is a Rainbow author said in the clip. “It’s your first day. How does it feel? First of all, I’m so proud of you, and I wanted to let you know just how proud of you I am, because, first of all, you’re going to be fantastic. Go get ‘em, Craig. You’ve got this!”