Savannah Guthrie started her new job Monday, as Matt Lauer's co-host on NBC's "Today," replacing Ann Curry who held the position for a year.

Guthrie had previously worked as NBC's chief legal analyst. The 40-year-old anchor told the Associated Press that it was a privilege to have one of those uncommon jobs that "you can describe as fun and actually mean it."

"This was a little unexpected, as we all know, but I just want to say that I'm so proud and honored to be in a place occupied by so many women I admire," Guthrie said during her debut on the show. She then named all those who came before her, from Ann Curry to Jane Pauley. After saying she hoped she didn't miss anyone, Lauer jokingly replied that "you'll hear if you did."

This wasn't Guthrie's first time hosting the show. For the past year, she has come on as a guest co-host during the "Today" show's 9 a.m. segment. Now, Guthrie is in competition for the highly viewed 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. time slot competing with other morning new shows, such as ABC and CBS.

NBC has kept mostly quiet about their reason for replacing Curry. However, NBC News President, Steve Capus, told The Hollywood Reporter that it was clear that Curry had minute genuine interest in particular segments; such as interviews with small-scale celebrities and the cooking sections, which are considered big part of a morning anchor's job. Curry isn't completely done with the network. According to Capus, her true passion is international reporting, and she's staying at NBC to lead her own news team.

No new changes are expected to be made to the morning show in the near future. Guthrie will continue to co-host the 9 a.m. hour, and Capus is in no hurry to make any additional personnel decisions, according to THR. However, he has yet to rule out Willie Geist, who currently is a host for an early-morning program on MSNBC and fills in for Lauer and others on the "Today" show once in a while, as a soon-to-be member of the team.