Craig Melvin was missing on Today on Tuesday March 31st, with viewers waking up to see two new faces at the news desk.
Not only was Craig absent, but Hoda Kotb - who has been filling in for Savannah Guthrie during her leave - was also off. Instead, Laura Jarrett and Willie Geist filled in.
At the start of the show, Laura said: "Good morning and welcome to Today on this Tuesday morning, so glad you're waking up with us. I'm Laura Jarrett alongside Willie Geist, filling in for Savannah and Craig, who is on assignment."
© NBCLater that day, Craig posted a picture of himself modeling a Today Show polo shirt at The Shop at NBC Studios on his Instagram account.
Alongside the photo, the star - who lost his brother Lawrence to Colon cancer in 2020, wrote: "As March comes to a close and Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month wraps up, the mission continues. I'm committed to spreading the word and reminding everyone to get screened.
© NBC"You can still stop by The Shop at NBC Studios or NBCStore.com to check out the TODAY x Colorectal Cancer Alliance polos and socks. Thank you for being part of this fight as I honor my brother, Lawrence Meadows.
"In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, NBCUniversal will be making a donation in support of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance."
© Art Streiber/NBCUniversal via GeCraig wasn't the only person absent from Today, as Dylan Dreyer was also missing from the Third Hour, substituted by Savannah Sellers.
Over on the Fourth Hour, Sheinelle Jones was off, and Willie returned to hosting duties to sit alongside Jenna Bush Hager.
© TODAYNext week, the Today family will be welcoming back Savannah, who has been absent from the show since the beginning of February, following the devastating news of her mother Nancy Guthrie's disappearance.
Savannah's return date on Monday April 6 - Easter Monday - has a signficance to her faith, which was highlighted by her co-star Al Roker as they discussed her coming back to work on the show last week.
"What’s wonderful, it’s almost symbolic after Easter and the resurrection, the rising, I think as a family we’ll hold hands and help her," he said.
© TODAYDuring Savannah's time off, Hoda has been primarily filling in for her, having returned to the show without hesitation.
On Friday's show, Craig made it clear just how grateful the show was to have Hoda back. He said: "You've sat here for a few weeks. You've got a lot happening in your life. You've got two girls you're raising by yourself. And when the coach called and they said, 'We need someone to come in and pinch hit,' you didn't bat an eye."
Jenna Bush Hager mirrored Craig's words, telling Hoda: "We needed you." Hoda replied: "When we say family, we mean it."
Last week, Savannah gave her first sit-down interview since her mother's disappearance, in an exclusive chat with Hoda.
It covered everything from Savannah's return date to the show to her difficult decision to leave Arizona to return home to New York City, where her husband and two young children had remained since the search began on February 1.
