Dylan Dreyer was noticeably absent during Friday’s Third Hour of the TODAY Show – and her co-stars couldn’t help but make a cheeky confession about her whereabouts. “As the opening credits rolled, Craig Melvin introduced himself alongside his co-hosts, Sheinelle Jones and Al Roker. “Dylan is on assignment, well technically, well she is on assignment,” he shared. Sheinelle was quick to clarify to Craig that the NBC meteorologist was indeed busy with a task set by the network. “No, it is an assignment, she’s doing Earth Odyssey,” she replied. Dylan has been hosting the NBC wildlife documentary series since 2019.

Al couldn’t resist cracking a joke about Dylan’s absence. “Not to be confused with Wild Child both on Saturday on NBC,” he said, insinuating that Dylan was off on a party-filled retreat. Sheinelle then gave viewers a glimpse into the luxurious perks news anchors enjoy while on assignment – a world far removed from the everyday chaos of parenting.

“The truth of the matter is when we fly out to go do it in California, it’s 24 hours we do a lot but we get a hotel room, there’s no one to knock on the bathroom door, one night of…,” she admitted. “No kids, it’s nice,” added Craig.

Al then broke into song, belting out, “One night only, one night only.” The trio playfully teased that Dylan was living it up while filming the documentary. “She’s on assignment,” concluded Craig, as he made an air quote gesture to the camera.

This isn’t the first time Dylan has missed the TODAY Show due to scheduling conflicts with other filming commitments. Last month, the 44-year-old unveiled an exciting new TV project as she travelled to Alaska to film Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting the Wild alongside wildlife expert Peter Gros.

The TODAY star shared a clip on Instagram that showed the moment she got a nasty bite from a fish while filming. “Made it back to Alaska!! This time for a future episode of @wildkingdomtv,” she captioned behind-the-scenes clips. “I’m going to have to toughen up a bit to stand alongside the great @peterwgros but these salmon are strong and feisty!!”

It’s an extra special, celebratory Monday for Dylan Dreyer and her family! On Monday, September 29, the youngest of the TODAY anchor’s kids, Russell, who is nicknamed Rusty, rang in his fourth trip around the sun. In addition to the birthday boy, Dylan, 44, is also a mom to sons Calvin, eight, and Oliver, five, who she shares with Brian Fichera. She and the cameraman married in 2012, but announced earlier this year that they had separated. At the top of the morning on TODAY’s 3rd Hour, sitting alongside her co-hosts Sheinelle Jones, Al Roker, and Craig Melvin, Dylan was quick to gush about her “big day,” noting it’s “crazy” he is already four years old. She then shared an adorable photo of Rusty at his birthday dinner, smiling as he looked towards his birthday cake clad with sparklers. The doting mom went on to share how he requested a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cake, which she made herself. “That’s impressive,” Al quipped, as Dylan noted: “We’re going to cut into that today, hopefully he likes it, it has a strawberry and whip cream filling in the middle.

Dylan had previously shared a video of the baking process on Instagram, and fans were quick to take to the comments section under the post and express their amazement. “You did a great job, Dylan. Rusty must be so happy,” one wrote, as others followed suit with: “Seriously, is there anything you are not good at doing?!! Great job and you’re a fantastic mom! Happy birthday to your precious little man,” and: “Absolutely perfect!!! Bet Rusty loved it!” as well as: “You’re the best mom. So creative and dedicated to your boys.”

The NBC star’s time away from New York comes after she released a statement via Instagram revealing that she had split from her husband, Brian Fichera. “For many years, I have shared my family with you all — the highs and lows, the ups and downs, and all of the blessings and beautiful memories in between,” wrote Dylan, with the words superimposed onto a picture of a sunset over a dock.

“I am incredibly grateful for the support and love you’ve given me through it all. For that reason, I want to share with you that a few months ago, Brian and I made the decision to separate.”

“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,” she added, before concluding: “Thank you as always for your support.”