The Today show has experienced several line-up changes lately and Thursday's show saw another shake-up among the hosts.
Al Roker was the man in charge of the Third Hour as he took over the helm from Craig Melvin, Sheinelle Jones, and Dylan Dreyer.
The TV veteran replaced the usual line-up and was joined by Vicky Nguyen and Savannah Sellers.
Explaining Craig, Sheinelle, and Dylan's absence, Al introduced his "special guests" before joking that the threesome "took off today, probably to finish off that holiday shopping".
When Vicky commented that she, Al, and Savannah made a "nice combo", he replied: "Yeah, we look very Christmassy – I like that."
This isn't the first time Al has stood in on the Third Hour. Earlier this month, he was joined on the show by two anchors he hadn't worked together with before, Peter Alexander and Laura Jarrett, who typically take up the Weekend show.
© NBC"This is a very special Friyay," Al announced, as the two anchors sat on either side of him. "I am joined by Peter Alexander and Laura Jarrett, from our friends from Saturday Today."
"We appreciate you guys ending our week with us," Al said, adding: "I think this is the first time we've all three done this."
© NBCLaura chimed in: "It is!" Meanwhile, Peter joked that it was a "Saturday morning breakfast sandwich right here, we just put you in the middle it's all good."
Today will look very different in the New Year following Hoda Kotb's announcement on September 26 that she is leaving the show.
© FilmMagicSpeaking to her fellow co-hosts, Hoda explained her decision centered around her daughters, Hope and Haley.
"I just turned 60, and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 years old, because I started thinking about that decade like, what does that decade mean? What does it hold? What's it going to have for me? And I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60 and to try something new," she told her co-hosts.
© Instagram"I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of the time pie that I have," she added. "I feel like we only have a finite amount of time."
Craig will succeed Hoda as the anchor of NBC's flagship morning show and will take up the leading role alongside Savannah Guthrie after Hoda leaves on January 10, filling her shoes from January 13.
© NBCAl previously spoke to HELLO! about Hoda's departure and what that entailed, saying: "You know, it would be more bitter than sweet if she was leaving, leaving," adding that she's "just transitioning into a different role."
He added: "No matter what happens, we're going to be in great shape. Each one of us is very fortunate to be in this position, for however long we have, and then we pass the baton off to somebody else. So, the future of the show is just as strong and bright no matter who steps in."
