Sheinelle Jones replaced as Today Show undergoes another switch up

There’s been a number of changes on Today, as Craig Melvin is set to step up and fill Hoda Kotb’s role as anchor for the flagship morning show. But as per usual, there have been a number of absences, meaning that the cast have had to step in for one another.

Sheinelle Jones was absent from the 3rd Hour, leaving Craig and Dylan Dreyer to carry on without her. Fortunately, anchor of NBC News Now Savannah Sellers was able to step in and fill the role.

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This wasn’t the first time the correspondent has taken on the 3rd Hour slot, filling it the day before when Dylan was away. She’s one of many members of the NBC family who step in to fill the highly-coveted seats in the Today studio. In fact, she’s stepped in enough times that Sheinelle calls her “cousin Savannah.”

The likes of Jacob Soboroff, Laura Jarrett, and Peter Alexander have also filled the spots when core cast members couldn’t.

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For Savannah, hosting the Today Show is always a special occasion. Not long after stepping in for Dylan yesterday, she shared that she’d had “one of those only-at-the-@todayshow kind of mornings where I leave thinking is this real life????”

She gushed as she received a calendar from Chad Michael Murray, who she called “everything you’d hope he’d me,” and spoke of her experience with Gwen Stefani as well. But for her, the highlight of the show was “sooooo many @craigmelvinnbc hugs.”

Like many, Savannah was over the moon for Craig when she heard about his promotion. Taking to Instagram, she called him the “realist deal.”

She explained how she had known Craig since she was a Page on the Weekend Today Show, which he anchored. According to Savannah, the veteran journalist hung up his phone call and kneeled on Rockefeller Plaza to greet her grandmother, who was in a wheelchair at the time. 

Captioning an emotional dedication to Craig, she revealed: “Our friendship goes back to when I was the weekend @todayshow green room Page and Craig was the anchor… to now, when I (still can’t believe it) get to co-anchor with him.” 

“Through it all, he’s been the same big-hearted colleague, mentor and friend to me, no matter my role. The kind of guy who hangs up a call to say hi to my grandma. I’m so honored to sit by his side for a bit of today,” she concluded.