Today meteorologist Dylan Dreyer was surprised to find out that colleague Hoda Kotb planned to leave the acclaimed morning show.

“I was in Nashville ’cause 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’s OK,’” Dreyer, 43, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, January 17, ahead of her participation in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions. “She whispers into her phone, ‘Just want you to know the announcement’s coming out today. I’m leaving the Today Show.’”

Dreyer continued, “And I was like, ‘Wait, what?’ It was such a tightly kept secret. I don’t know if anybody knew ’cause I called Al [Roker] and he said he found out that morning before the show, and Craig [Melvin] found out that morning before the show. It was shocking, 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 planned to leave Today after three decades on the air. She initially joined the TV network in 2007, later becoming an anchor in 2018 alongside Savannah Guthrie.

Kotb’s final shows aired live earlier this month, which were especially emotional for the Today crew and viewers alike.

“Hoda’s like your favorite aunt, who you loved when she showed up. … I mean, she was the heart and soul of the Today show and really brought that to the people,” Dreyer told Us. “Everybody’s like, ‘What’s Hoda like in person?’ She’s exactly what you see on TV. I mean, none of that is phony, but at the same time, she chose this new path. She wants to get into the wellness space and she’s still gonna do Olympics coverage and do special stories … so she’s still gonna be a part of the show. This was her choice, so you can’t help but root her on and cheer her on for that.”

Dreyer will still get a frequent “Hoda fix” off-screen too, since the two broadcasters are also neighbors. (Ahead of her Today exit, Kotb moved to the suburbs of New York with daughters Hope and Haley.)

After Kotb’s Today departure, Melvin, 45, took over Kotb’s position as coanchor.

NBC

“We’ve all worked together for so long now that nothing feels different,” Dreyer said on Friday of the new Today lineup. “Everybody’s got different titles and stuff, but nothing really feels different because it makes sense for Craig to take over that role — and he’s like a brother to me.”

She added, “It’s just one big happy family and everything’s kind of getting rearranged a little bit, but the other morning I did send Savannah a text message. I’m like, ‘Savannah, I just wanna say kudos to you’ because she’s had to give so much lately.”

According to Dreyer, Guthrie, 53, had to watch “the goodbyes to Hoda” before the crew started to “build Craig up for this new role.”

“I just wanted to say, ‘Kudos to you for having to step back and give everyone their flowers for so long,’” 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’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’s briefly trading the broadcasting studio for the fairway. She will compete in the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions golf game in Orlando, Florida, later in January against other celebrities.

“[Golf] opens up so many doors for you. It’s, like, the fact that, at some point in my life, I learned to play golf just good enough to get invited to these things has opened up a whole new world,” Dreyer quipped to Us. “There’s so much fun, the people you meet and that you’re hanging out with; it’s like a pinch-me moment. It’s all your favorite sports stars [and] the celebrities that you watch on TV. It’s, like, you’re in a place where you’re cool enough to be with them. It’s just so much fun.”