‘Today’s Craig Melvin Gets Major Gig & Special Honor Away From NBC Show

Craig Melvin is being honored with a special role off the small screen.

On Thursday, April 9, the Today host reshared a post on his Instagram Story, revealing that he will give a college commencement speech later this year. “Craig Melvin, acclaimed journalist and NBC’s TODAY co-anchor, will deliver Villanova University’s 2026 Commencement Address,” the school’s official Instagram page shared.

In addition to the commencement speech, an announcement on Villanova University’s website also revealed that Melvin will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. The commencement will take place on Tuesday, May 19, at 2:30 p.m. ET, at Villanova Stadium in Villanova, Pennsylvania.

Melvin himself is not a Villanova alum, as he earned his Bachelor of Arts in government from Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 2001. Before he joined NBC News and MSNBC (now MS Now) in 2011, Melvin served as an evening news anchor at a station in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. He later worked as a weekend anchor at the Washington, D.C., NBC caffiliate WRC, per his Today bio.

Melvin joined the Today family as a news anchor in 2018. The following year, he began co-hosting the third hour of Today alongside Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer, and Sheinelle Jones, the latter of whom stepped away from the show in January to begin co-hosting the fourth hour of Today with Jenna Bush Hager.

 

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Following Hoda Kotb‘s exit from Today in January 2025, Melvin took over her role as Savannah Guthrie‘s co-anchor. He has held the role ever since, and continues to co-host the NBC morning show’s third hour. Last month, launched his first-ever podcast, Glass Half Full, on which he shares candid conversations with some of the biggest Hollywood and sports stars.

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“I think we live in a time where everything’s like this [snaps fingers],” he said of the podcast on the March 10 episode of Today. “I think the pendulum’s starting to swing. There’s a real audience for people who want to connect through storytelling, through laughter, through tears. And this is the perfect medium for that.”

Melvin has yet to reveal whether he will take any days off from Today for his college commencement speech. The TV personality, however, began his week-long spring break from the show on Friday, April 10.

“Speaking of tomorrow, Craig, you are heading off on a very well-deserved vacation. You’ve been holding it down here for a long time,” Guthrie said to Melvin at the top of Today‘s Thursday, April 9, episode. “So, you’re gonna have a spring break.”

She added, “And Monday, we’re gonna try a new host here. Her name is Hoda, and she’s gonna fill in for you next week. So, that will be fun.”

Weekend Today‘s Laura Jarrett and Sunday Today‘s Willie Geist filled in for Guthrie and Melvin on Friday’s episode of Today.

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