Craig Melvin made a surprising on-air confession on Monday as he sat down to co-host the fourth hour of the Today show with his co-star, Jenna Bush Hager. This marked Craig’s first time at the Jenna & Friends desk, which has seen a slew of celebrity guest hosts since Hoda Kotb exited the show in January to spend more time with her young daughters.

Craig, who replaced Hoda in the show’s first two hours, admitted to the former First Daughter that he had never watched Jenna & Friends, despite working on Today for years.

“This is a nice set,” Craig said as he sat down at the desk beside Jenna. “You know, I’ve never seen the show.”

Jenna then declared, “That is so rude!”

The father of two explained that he never had the chance, as he was just finishing up on the third hour when she began.

“Did you just hear him say he’s never watched the show?” Jenna asked the producers, before Craig interjected, “No, because I’m usually in transit, but this is nice.”

The blonde beauty then pointed out, “Here’s the thing about it. It’s a full hour,” to which her co-star replied, “I know, I could probably watch some of it.”

On Monday, Craig hosted the first two hours of Today with Savannah Guthrie, before jumping to the third hour with Sheinelle Jones, Al Roker, and Dylan Dreyer, followed by his stint with Jenna in the fourth hour.

The veteran star took a moment to praise the mom of three for her work on Jenna & Friends, which has seen a revolving door of guest hosts since Hoda left in January.

“What you have managed to do over the last few months on this show, from just a purely broadcasting perspective, as the kids would say, real recognize real,” he said. “To be able to sit next to someone different every day or two and do this, that’s a feat. Listen, we’ve both been in the business long enough to know you sit next to people you don’t really like a lot.”

“No, I like everybody!” Jenna responded.

“That’s the truth. I’ve kind of fallen in love with. We’ve had 57 first dates.”

Craig then laughed that he was the 58th choice for guest-hosting duties, quipping, “It’s taken 58 friends to finally be like, ‘You know, there’s a guy who literally has a dressing room across the street.'”

Fans couldn’t get enough of the dynamic duo and took to Today’s Instagram page to share the love.

“Craig Melvin!! A breath of fresh air! Please ask him to host again!!!” said one fan, while another added, “So glad to finally have Craig on!”

A third chimed in, “Love both of you! Jenna and Craig nailed it today,” while a fourth wrote, “Can never get enough Craig! Would love to see more of Jenna as well! Love you all!”

Craig shared his thoughts on Jenna & Friends in an Instagram video after wrapping Monday’s episode, admitting, “This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.”

When asked if he would consider another guest stint, he responded, “No, no, no. I think moderation’s key. It’s a lot of fun. You get to flex different muscles.”

Also joining Jenna on Today’s fourth hour this week is Michelle Obama on Tuesday, followed by Dylan Dreyer on Wednesday and Friday, and Carson Daly on Thursday.
https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/865425/craig-melvin-reveals-unexpected-truth-about-today-show-in-shocking-on-air-confession/