Dylan Dreyer says she feels “guilty” and at times “embarrassed” about relying on a nanny to care for her three sons, a candid admission she made while discussing the realities of working motherhood on her podcast, The Parent Chat.
On the episode with Fox Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews, Dreyer described the pressure of appearing to “do it all” and how that pressure can set “unrealistic expectations for the mom who’s sitting there struggling.” Dreyer, 44, said her family has employed a nanny since her oldest son was three months old because she works full time and lacks nearby relatives to help. “My parents don’t live close. My mom’s in Florida. My brother’s in Oregon. My other brother’s in Florida. My in-laws are up in Boston,” she said, adding that the old model of living where extended family and neighbors formed a support network is increasingly rare.
Andrews agreed, recalling that an early nanny told her it was “okay to admit you have help,” because pretending otherwise only makes things harder for other parents. Dreyer said she would prefer not to pay for childcare if she could, but that she could not have the career she loves without assistance: “I couldn’t have the career I have, and I love my job. I’ve been doing it, like, half my life.”
Dreyer shares sons Calvin, 9, Oliver, 5, and Rusty, 3, with ex-husband Brian Fichera; the couple announced their split at the start of July after 13 years together. Dreyer has been public about the family’s recent life changes: in November she revealed she and the boys had traded city life for the suburbs, following a trend among on-air hosts including Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager. Her move came amid a prolonged sale of the family’s longtime New York City condo, which was listed in November 2024 at $2.49 million and briefly removed before returning to the market with a roughly $500,000 reduction to $1.99 million. Property records show Dreyer and Fichera purchased that condo in June 2016; they also own a Point Lookout beach house bought in 2021 for $2.5 million.
Dreyer has intermittently addressed her split publicly. She broke her silence about the breakup on Nov. 5 while co-hosting Today With Jenna & Friends, saying that she and Fichera had reached a “place” where they were moving forward separately yet remain “very close.” In December she posted holiday photos from the new home — including a snapshot of a son briefly hospitalized with the flu — and used the moment to wish followers a happy new year.
The conversation on The Parent Chat marked a frank moment in Dreyer’s ongoing public recalibration of family, work and privacy. Her remarks underscore a larger cultural debate about the stigma around paid childcare, the expectations placed on working parents and the practical choices families make when relatives live far away. Dreyer said she wants fans to know that asking for help is part of reality, not a shortcoming, and that visibility about needing support can prevent unrealistic comparisons among mothers.