Dylan Dreyer opened up about her separation from husband Brian Fichera during her guest co-hosting appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends Wednesday.
The Today meteorologist spoke candidly about her personal life nearly four months after announcing her split from Fichera in July.
Dreyer, 44, got direct when co-host Jenna Bush Hager asked about her dating life as a single woman.
“I appreciate everyone’s comments that have spoken up about my life and our decisions and what we have decided as a family, thank you for your opinions on that,” Dreyer said with a touch of sarcasm before diving into the real reasons behind her separation.
“Everybody has their reasons for what leads to a separation or divorce. That’s another story with a lot of wine and that’s a whole different thing, but either way we’ve gotten to this place.”
Dreyer explained the couple tried to fix their marriage but ultimately couldn’t.
“You could either fix it if you can and ideally you would and you try, and you try to fix things. Or you accept that it’s broken and you take this new step forward,” she said.
There was “something we couldn’t fix,” so Dreyer and Fichera decided to “reframe” their relationship entirely.
Moving Forward as Friends
The NBC co-host described how removing the pressure of marriage has actually improved their relationship.
“We are no longer husband and wife and all those things that were broken, I don’t hold them against you because we’ve accepted they’re broken,” Dreyer explained. “That’s why we’re separated. So now let’s move forward as friends.”
She says she can “be a better friend than a wife.”
Dreyer and Fichera, who married in 2012, share three sons: Cal, 8, Ollie, 5, and Rusty, 4.
The couple has been transparent with their children about the changes in their family structure.
“I asked Calvin. I said, ‘What do you think a family is?’ And he said, ‘Well, it’s a group of people that love each other.’ And I said, ‘That’s what we are. And we will always be that for you. But Mommy and Daddy work better as friends than as husband and wife.'”
Co-Parenting Success
Fichera drops the kids off at school most days. The family eats dinner together most nights and plans to celebrate Thanksgiving together.
“First and foremost the kids have to feel love and they have to be happy,” Dreyer said. “I have three boys. I want their dad in their lives. They need that. They need both the dynamic of a father and a mother.”
Bush Hager described Dreyer as “heartbroken” over the past few months, which the meteorologist didn’t deny.
Dreyer has leaned heavily on her faith during this transition.
“There’s something really comforting about knowing that there is a higher power holding my hand every day,” she shared.
She’s been surprised by how content she feels despite the major life change.
“I even talk to my therapist. I go, ‘Am I repressing feelings? Am I pushing things down? Is this healthy what I’m doing?’ Because I feel okay every day,” Dreyer said. “I come to work and I smile and it’s not fake. I feel genuinely happy.”
July Announcement
Dreyer first announced the separation on Instagram in July, revealing the couple had been separated for months before going public.
“We began as friends. And we will remain the closest of friends. Most importantly, we will continue to co-parent our three wonderful boys together with nothing but love and respect for one another.”
The couple’s approach focuses entirely on maintaining stability for their three young sons.
