Today Show Hosts Split Up as Craig Melvin “Holds It Down” in Studio 1A

Savannah Guthrie and Craig Melvin took on different locations for a special Today Show broadcast marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

While Savannah reported live from Lower Manhattan, Craig remained at the show’s familiar Studio 1A, helping anchor the emotional morning from the studio.

Savannah Guthrie Reports From Lower Manhattan

The September 11 episode opened with Savannah reporting from Lower Manhattan, near the site where the Twin Towers once stood.

“I’m here this morning in Lower Manhattan. Craig, good morning to you. Holding it down in Studio 1A this morning for us,” Savannah said.

Craig responded from the studio by reflecting on the passage of 25 years since the attacks.

“Good morning to you as well. It really is hard to believe it was 25 years ago today, hijackers crashing into airplanes killing 3,000 people. And each passing year on this day, America and the world honors those lives lost,” he said.

Savannah described the significance of being at the site on such an important anniversary.

“It is so poignant to be here in Lower Manhattan and be seated below where the Twin Towers stood,” she explained. “We will mark moments this morning when the two planes hit and the towers fell and all the names of those who perished will be read aloud as they are every year.”

Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the coordinated terrorist attacks across the United States on September 11, 2001. Two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in Manhattan, while a third struck the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C.

Savannah also shared a somber image of One World Trade on social media, simply captioning the post, “Remembering…”

Craig Melvin Honors 9/11 Victims From Studio 1A

As Savannah reported from Lower Manhattan, Craig continued the special coverage from Studio 1A.

Later in the broadcast, he interviewed Mikey Collarone, also known as Mikey Flowers, a Manhattan floral business owner who has spent years making sure the families of 9/11 victims know their loved ones have not been forgotten.

Craig highlighted Mikey’s long-running efforts in an Instagram post, writing that he had spent years honoring the victims without seeking credit. He also noted that a woman who lost her husband on September 11 would have the opportunity to tell Mikey what his efforts had meant to her.

Mikey began his program in 2013 and donates thousands of white roses each year to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.

During the interview, he explained why he refers to the flowers as “birthday roses” rather than memorial roses.

“It’s great to see families come to the memorial looking at the birthday rose,” Mikey told Craig. “It’s a birthday rose, it’s not a memorial rose.”

Mikey Collarone Recalls Witnessing the First Plane

Mikey also shared his own memories of September 11, revealing that he was an eyewitness to the first plane hitting the North Tower.

“I was a couple of blocks away,” he recalled. “As I look up, I hear the plane throttle up, and I see the plane going right into the north tower.”

He then described trying to run toward the World Trade Center moments later.

“As I’m trying to run into the World Trade Center, maybe 10 feet away from the revolving doors, the glass started coming down,” he said.

Mikey concluded with a simple statement about his commitment to remembering those who were lost:

“I never left. I never will.”