'Today' Cast Can’t Keep It Together as They Toast to Craig Melvin's New Role

The Today cast is preparing to enter a new chapter as Craig Melvin will officially take over as co-anchor when Hoda Kotb departs her usual spot on the morning talk show early next year.

It's a bittersweet goodbye for Kotb, 60, but an exciting opportunity for Melvin. The news even earned him a bourbon toast from his fellow co-hosts on the Thursday, Nov. 14 episode of the NBC morning talk show.

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Melvin and Kotb were joined by colleagues Carson Daly, Jenna Bush Hager, Sheinelle Jones and Savannah Guthrie for the special salute. After sharing a "Cheers!" Kotb said she was "going to take a sip of this for you," referring to the full glass of bourbon she held.

"We love you!" Guthrie added before repeating what Kotb said in the moments before with a chorus of others, "I'll take a sip of this for you."

And that's when it all went downhill.

As soon as the bourbon hit their tongues, Guthrie, Bush Hager and Kotb were immediately left with the bitter and profound taste of regret. "Awful!" they declared while sticking their tongues out, looking less than pleased and gagging.

The candid moment was caught on camera, of course, and later shared online along with the caption: "when you do a toast but only craig likes bourbon."

"Congrats, Craig...but maybe champagne next time? 🥂😂," the Today show Instagram further joked.

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Culinary producer and food stylist for the show, Katie Stilo, joined in on the fun, quipping in the comments, "@craigmelvinnbc looks like your first [assignment] is teaching them to enjoy the finer things in life !!!🥃."

"Come on Jenna!" a second lovingly mocked. "You’re a Texas girlie!"

"Those are aggressive pours for daytime TV 😂," another viewer pointed out.

"This is hilarious 🤣🤣🤣 So happy for Craig👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽❤️," one more fan declared.

As Parade previously reported, Melvin, 45, was officially appointed as Kotb's replacement on Nov. 14 when she retires on Jan. 10, 2025. As for Kotb's future, here's everything we know about what she has planned for her career.

Next: Today Announces Major Shakeup as Jenna Bush Hager's Future Is Clarified