Craig Melvin will replace Hoda Kotb on the Today show.

As Hoda Kotb’s departure from the Today show nears, more changes are on the horizon. Longtime host Craig Melvin is preparing to replace Kotb as co-host.

Melvin, 45, who’s already hosting his third hour of “Today” alongside Al Roker, Sheinelle Jones and Dylan Dreyer, made the announcement during Thursday broadcast. The announcement comes roughly two months after Kotb announced that she was leaving the show after nearly twenty years to focus on her family.

“I’m extremely excited and grateful,” Melvin said, getting emotional during the broadcast. “I have enjoyed blessings all my life, and this is the latest in a long list of blessings.”

In an interview with Kotb, Melvin said: “It means a lot to me to inherit this from you. You have been the heart of this place for a long time. You helped save this program.”

Roker, who joined the show via Zoom to congratulate Melvin, said: “I knew this day would come. I watched you grow up. “I saw you as a journalist, but more importantly, I saw you as a dad, a son and all the things that make you who you are,” he said. “I’m so proud and happy for you right now because you’re worth it.”

Starting Monday, January 13, Melvin will host for 3 straight hours. Kotb’s last day on the program is scheduled for Friday, January 10.

The two-time Emmy winner from South Carolina has worked at NBC News for 14 years and have become the anchor of “Today” in 2018. His coverage includes breaking news, meetings with presidents and other outstanding figures, multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, and more. In 2011, he married sports presenter Lindsay Czarniak; together they’ve two children.

An anonymous source reported People Magazine“Craig is an incredibly talented presenter. It is very versatile. It has everything you need to fill this role. Hoda has two really important jobs, and they take them step by step, thinking about everything.”

Other upcoming programming changes include changing the fourth hour of the show to “TONIGHT with Jenna and Friends.” The recent hour, which debuts on January 13, will feature a rotating addition of co-hosts until a everlasting host is chosen.