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Today a meteorologist Dylan Dreyer surprised to find that colleague Hoda Kotb plans to leave the acclaimed morning show.
“I was in Nashville because I had just covered the People’s Choice Country Music Awards (in September 2024). She calls me at 6:55. I’m like, ‘Why is Hoda calling me? I hope everything is fine,’” Dreyer, 43, said exclusively Us Weekly on Friday, January 17, before she takes part in the Hilton Grand Holiday Tournament of Champions. “She whispers into her phone, ‘Just wanted you to know that the announcement is coming out today. I leave the Today Show.’”
Dreyer continued, “And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ It was such a tight secret. I don’t know if anyone knew ’cause I called Al (Roker) and he said he got out that morning before the show, and Craig (Melvin) be informed that morning before the show. It was scary, but I would say not surprising because once you found out why she was doing it, it was like, ‘Oh, yeah, that makes so much sense.'”
Kotb, 60, confirmed in September 2024 that she intended to leave Today after three decades on the air. He initially joined the television network in 2007, later becoming an anchor in 2018 alongside her Savannah Guthrie.
The news of Hoda Kotb’s Today show exit is bittersweet for her co-hosts. “I just turned 60, and it was a huge moment for me when I turned 60 because I started thinking about that decade, like, what does that decade mean? What is it holding? What will it get me?” Kotb, (…)
Kotb’s last shows broadcast live earlier this month, which was particularly emotional for the Today crew and spectators alike.
“Hoda is like your favorite aunt, who you loved when she appeared. … That is, she was the heart and soul of the Today really show and bring that to the people,” Dreyer said Us. “Everyone’s like, ‘What’s Hoda like in person?’ She is exactly what you see on TV. I mean, none of that is fake, but at the same time, he chose this new path. She wants to get into the wellness space and she’s still going to cover the Olympics and do special stories … so she still part of the show. It was her choice, so you can’t help but root for her and cheer her on.”
Dreyer will still get a frequent “Hoda fix” off screen as well, as both broadcasters also neighbors. (In front of her Today departure, Kotb moved to the New York suburbs with her daughters Hope and Haley.)
After Kotb’s Today departure, Melvin, 45, took Kotb’s position as co-chairman.
“We’ve all worked together so long now that nothing feels different,” Dreyer said Friday the new Today lineup. “Everyone has different titles and stuff, but nothing really feels different because it makes sense for Craig to take on that role – and he’s like a brother to me.”
She added, “It’s just one big happy family and everything is kind of rearranged a little bit, but the other morning I texted Savannah. I’m like, ‘Savannah, I want to give you credit’ because she’s had to give so much lately.”
According to Dreyer, Guthrie, 53, had to watch “goodbye to Hoda” before the crew began “building Craig for this new role.”
“I wanted to say, ‘Kudos to you for having to step back and give everyone their flowers for so long,'” noted Dreyer. “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’m like, ‘I hope you realize how integral you are when it comes to the Today show.’”
While Dreyer is also an integral member of the NBC News family, she traded the broadcast studio for the fairway for a short time. He will compete in the Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions golf match in Orlando, Florida, later in January against other celebrities.
Hoda Kotb celebrates her new chapter after her final appearance on the Today show. The 60-year-old broadcaster took to social media on Monday, January 13, with a positive message about starting over. “And suddenly, you know… it’s time to start something new and trust in the magic of new beginnings,” read a quote he shared through (…)
“(Golf) opens so many doors for you. The fact that, at some point in my life, I learned to play golf well enough to be invited to these things has, like, opened up a whole new world,” quipped Dreyer to Us. “It’s so much fun, the people you meet and spend time with; it’s like a pinch-me moment. All your favorite sports stars (and) the celebrities you watch on TV. It’s, like, you’re in a place where you’re cool enough to be with them. It’s so much fun.”
The Hilton Grand Vacation Tournament of Champions will be held at Orlando’s Lake Nona Golf and Country Club from Thursday, January 30 through Sunday, February 2.
With reports by Dan Trainor
