‘Today’s Dylan Dreyer Criticized for Calling Gulf of America the Gulf of Mexico On-Air

Dylan Dreyer on the January 23, 2026, episode of NBC's 'Today.'
NBC

What To Know

  • While giving a weather report on Today, Dylan Dreyer referred to the Gulf of America as the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Dreyer faced both criticism and praise from viewers for using the location’s former name on-air.
  • Dreyer made the comment while sharing news about upcoming winter storms affecting many areas across the U.S.

Dylan Dreyer‘s latest weather report on Today is being met with some criticism.

Dreyer filled in for Al Roker on the Friday, January 23, episode of the NBC morning show. During the show, the meteorologist reported on the winter storms that will affect dozens of states across the country over the weekend.

“There’s a lot going on, so let’s break it down for you,” she said. “The storm is just now gathering itself. We’re tapping into some Pacific moisture. We’re going to get some Gulf of Mexico moisture, and we’re going to get the Arctic cold. So, look at how expansive these winter storm watch warnings, even ice storm warnings, are, stretching from New Mexico all the way up into New England.”

Some Today fans were quick to point out that Dreyer accidentally called the Gulf of America by its former name, the Gulf of Mexico. President Donald Trump officially changed the location’s name in January 2025.

“Lol you need to look at all your maps. It’s now called the Gulf of America,” one person commented under a clip of Dreyer’s winter storm report on Today‘s official Instagram page. Another user wrote, “It’s Gulf of America!” Someone else shared, “You mean Gulf of America!”

 

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Others praised Dreyer’s on-air comments, as Trump’s renaming of the Gulf of Mexico drew criticism from many. “Thank you Dylan for calling it by its proper name!” a different user commented, while another said, “Did y’all hear that? Gulf of Mexico 😉.” A separate person posted, “Its Gulf of Mexico, Dylan is correct.”

Dreyer concluded her weather report with a warning to those who may be affected by the incoming winter storm. “Once this storm passes, we are going to see brutal cold. So, where the power outages occur, it is going to stay dangerously cold on the back side of it, making it difficult for the crews to clean things up. And also, [it will be] very dangerous in the homes when you don’t have the heat. So, this is going to be a long-duration event.”

Dreyer joined the cast of the Today as a Weekend Today weather anchor in 2012. In 2019, she became a third hour of Today cohost alongside Al Roker, Craig Melvin, and Sheinelle Jones. She officially stepped down from Weekend Today in 2022 to spend more time with her family.

Dreyer shares her three sons — Calvin, 9, Oliver, 6, and Rusty, 4 — with her estranged husband, Brian Fichera. In July 2025, Dreyer announced via Instagram that the pair had separated “a few months ago” and that they would “continue to co-parent our three wonderful boys together with nothing but love and respect for one another.”

Today, Weekdays, 7 a.m./6c, NBC