Craig Melvin has had to get used to an uber-early morning call time — despite not being a morning person. The veteran anchor joined the TODAY family as a host in 2018, which has called for wake up times as early as 3am and kicking off work just a few hours later. In November 2024, it was announced that he would be taking over for Hoda Kotb as Savannah Guthrie's co-anchor, a role he has held since January of this year, and on the latest installment of the long-running program, he gave insight into how he gets ready for showtime.
On the Monday, October 20 episode of 3rd Hour, which took place out on Rockefeller Plaza for the program's Fan Fest, a fan told Craig: "Clearly you have to be a morning person to do this job, can you walk us through your morning routine from when you wake up until when we see you on the air."
He kicked off his answer by admitting one of two "dirty little" secrets, first of which that he is "not a morning person," and that he fakes it with "a lot of caffeine." His co-anchor Dylan Dreyer then interrupted by revealing his second dirty little secret: " He cleans his ears, in the make-up room every morning."
"Because we're family," he quipped about his confidence with his team, before further sharing details of his morning routine, which includes waking up at about 3:45am because he and his family, his wife Lindsay Czarniak and their kids, son Delano, 11, and daughter Sybil, eight, live out in Connecticut.
"I'm on the phone, reading my notes for interviews and segments. Sometimes [I have] a couple phone calls, I'm usually in the building by 5:15am. [Do] make-up, no hair because there's not a lot to work with," he shared.
Craig continued: "In my dressing room upstairs I journal every other day, light one of the candles I make at home," and as he was saying there's a meditation app he likes to use, his co-hosts, Dylan and Sheinelle Jones (Al Roker was off) interrupted him by joking he was going to put them all to sleep."
During the emotional, exciting announcement almost a year ago when Craig was announced as Hoda's replacement, he shared: "I am beyond excited and grateful," noting that it is "the latest in a long line of blessings."
"The larger staff found out this morning, and people broke into applause," Savannah also revealed, and maintained: "This is one of the most popular decisions NBC News has ever made. Congratulations." Craig has had ties to NBC since he was a high school student, when he joined their affiliate WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina, and returned upon his graduation from college. He officially joined the Today Show and 3rd Hour in 2018.