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Today meteorologist Dylan Dreyer was surprised to find that a colleague Hoda Kotb planned to leave the acclaimed morning show.
“I was in Nashville because I just attended the People’s Choice Country Music Awards (in September 2024). He calls me at 6:55. I’m like, ‘Why is Hoda calling me? I hope everything is fine,” Dreyer, 43, told the exclusive My Weekly on Friday, Jan. 17, prior to her participation in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. “He whispers into the phone, ‘I just want you to know that the announcement is coming out today.’ i leave Today Show.'”
Dreyer continued, “And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ It was such a closely guarded secret. I don’t know if anyone knew because I called Al (Rocker) and said he found it out the morning before the show and Craig (Melvin) he found out the morning before the show. It was shocking, but I’d say not surprising, because once you found out why he was doing it, it was like, ‘Oh, yeah, it makes so much sense.'”
The 60-year-old Kotb confirmed it in September 2024 she planned to leave Today after three decades on the air. She originally joined the television network in 2007, later becoming an anchor in 2018 Savannah Guthrie.
The news of Hoda Kotb’s departure from the Today show is bittersweet for her co-hosts. “I just turned 60 and it was such a monumental moment for me when I turned 60 because I started thinking about that decade, like what does a decade mean? What’s holding it up? What will it be for me?” Kotb, (…)
Kotb’s final performance aired live earlier this month, which was particularly emotional for them Today crew and audience.
“Hoda is like your favorite aunt that you loved when she showed up. … I mean, she was the heart and soul of it Today show and really brought it to the people,” Dreyer said Our. “Everyone says, ‘What’s Hoda like in person?’ It’s exactly what you see on TV. I mean, none of it is fake, but at the same time, she chose this new path. He wants to get into the wellness space and will still be doing Olympics coverage and special stories…so there is will still be part of the show. This was her choice, so you can’t help but root for her and root for her.”
Dreyer will still often get the “Hoda fix” off-screen as the two broadcasters are neighbors too. (In front of her Today exit, Kotb moved to the suburbs of New York with daughters Hope and Haley.)
After the Kotbs Today departure, Melvin, 45, took over Kotb’s position as coanchor.
“We’ve all worked together for so long that nothing seems different,” Dreyer said Friday new Today lineup. “Everybody has different titles and stuff, but nothing’s really different because it makes sense for Craig to take on the role – and he’s like a brother to me.”
She added: “It’s just one big happy family and everything is getting a bit reshuffled, but the next morning I sent Savannah a text. I’m like, ‘Savannah, I just want to give you kudos’ because she’s had so much to give lately.”
According to Dreyer, Guthrie, 53, had to watch Hoda’s “farewell” before the crew began “preparing Craig for this new role.”
“I just wanted to say, ‘Kudos to you for taking so long to back down and give everyone their flowers,'” Dreyer noted. “I think she handled it with such grace and it’s nice to give, give, give, but it’s also nice to receive. So I say, ‘I hope you realize how integral you are when it comes down to it Today show.'”
While Dreyer is also an integral part of the NBC News family, she briefly traded the broadcast studio for the fairway. Later in January, she will compete in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions golf tournament in Orlando, Florida against other celebrities.
Hoda Kotb celebrates her new chapter after her final performance today. The 60-year-old broadcaster took to social media on Monday, January 13, with the positive news that he is starting over. “And suddenly, you know… it’s time to start something new and trust in the magic of new beginnings,” was the quote she shared through her (…)
“(Golf) opens so many doors for you. It’s like the fact that at some point in my life I learned to play golf so well that I was invited to these things, it opened up a whole new world for me,” Dreyer joked. Our. “There is so much fun, the people you meet and interact with; it’s like a nudge. They are all your favorite sports stars (and) celebrities that you watch on TV. It’s like, you’re in a place where you’re comfortable enough to be with them. It’s just so much fun.”
The Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions takes place at Orlando’s Lake Nona Golf & Country Club from Thursday, January 30th to Sunday, February 2nd.
With reporting by Dan Trainor
