NEWSDylan Dreyer Says She Found Out '10 Minutes' Before the Show Started That Hoda Kotb Was Leaving 'Today'
Dylan Dreyer said she found out just '10 minutes' before the show that Hoda Kotb was leaving 'Today.'
Fans of the Today show were caught off guard by Hoda Kotb’s emotional announcement of her departure, but no one was more surprised than her colleague meteorologist Dylan Dreyer.
"I knew about 10 minutes before the show started," Dreyer shared in an interview with E! News at the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards on September 26, adding that it seemed like "everybody kind of found out" at the same time.
Hoda Kotb pictured during her emotional announcement.
Despite the shocking news, Dreyer, 43, had nothing but praise for the Today team.
"I don’t think if they named anyone in our core group of people it would be surprising," she said of who might take over for Kotb. "We’ve all filled in along the way when somebody’s out. I don’t know if anybody’s made any decisions yet, but if it’s one of the core groups, I really don’t think it’s that surprising."
Dylan Dreyer weighed in on who might take over for Hoda Kotb.
Dreyer emphasized that Today feels like "such a family," and she believes that any of her fellow team members — including Craig Melvin, 52, Sheinelle Jones, 46, Jenna Bush Hager, 42, Carson Daly, 51, and Weekend Today co-anchors Peter Alexander, 48, and Laura Jarrett, 40 — are more than capable of stepping into the role alongside Savannah Guthrie, 52.
The blonde beauty said she learned about Hoda Kotb's announcement 10 minutes before she told the world.
"Everybody knows I'm trying to get Al Roker, 70, to retire, let’s be honest," she joked.
Hoda Kotb explained her decision to step back from 'Today' after so many years.
- Everything to Know About Hoda Kotb's Exit From 'Today': Why She Left, How Her Costars Reacted and More
- Hoda Kotb's 'Today' Costars 'Shocked' at Her Decision to Leave, Most Didn't Know Until 'a Couple of Days' Before Her Announcement: Insider
- Hoda Kotb Decided to Leave 'Today' After Being Asked to Cut Her $20 Million Salary: Report
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Kotb’s emotional departure, which took place on air, left many in tears as she explained her decision to step back from Today after so many years.
"I realized that it was time for me to turn the page at 60, and to try something new," Kotb shared.
"I remembered standing outside looking at these beautiful bunch of people with these gorgeous signs, and I thought, 'This is what the top of the wave feels like for me.' And I thought it can't get better, and I decided that this is the right time for me to kind of move on," she added.
Hoda Kotb wants to spend more time with her kids.
The matriarch explained how motherhood played a major role in her decision.
"Obviously, I had my kiddos late in life, and I was thinking that they deserve a bigger piece of my time pie that I have," she said, referring to her two little girls, Haley and Hope. "I feel like we only have a finite amount of time. And so, with all that being said, this is the hardest thing in the world."
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On the Friday, September 27, episode of Today, she shared with her colleagues how she felt after telling the world her big news.
“It was the most beautiful thing in the world. I went home and my daughter threw up on the car and then we watched TV,” Kotb shared. "Four neighbor kids came over, and it was like a pizza party!"
"It was so beautiful. Everything I dreamt of was last night," she added.
