Craig Melvin gets emotional when his wife and kids surprise him on the first day of ‘Today’

Craig Melvin had the best surprise in store for him on his first day as a Today co-anchor.

The father-of-two, 45, became emotional as his wife Lindsay Czarniak and their two children – son Delano, 10, and daughter Sybil, 8 – stepped out on set to surprise him for his first day as a civil servant Today co-anchor. His family was followed by his parents, Lawrence and Betty Jo, and his brother Ryan.

“When I left this morning you were all in bed!” Melvin said.

“We faked it,” Czarniak admitted, laughing.

Delano sat next to his father, with father and son matching in navy suits. “Oh, you got a mic, mate,” Melvin said to Delano, who replied, “I’m a pro!”

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Melvin took over for Hoda Kotb, who celebrated her last day at Today Friday, January 10.

“He’s a great dad and he deserves to be here today,” Delano said of his dad on the show, prompting Melvin to cry and give him a big hug.

Sybil then pulled out a note she wrote about her father, as Czarniak explained that the 8-year-old wrote down some things about her father that she thought the audience might want to know.

“My dad loves to play with me. He loves tickle fights and he watches TV shows with me,” she read.

Back in December, Melvin shared a sweet photo on Instagram of his family of four in matching green and white Christmas pajamas. The foursome smiled in the adorable snap, while the proud dad took a minute to reflect on the holiday season in his caption.

“Merry Christmas from the Melvins,” he wrote. “Hope your day is filled with love, fun and memories. A special prayer today for those who are lonely or grieving this holiday season.”