Topline
Al Roker will return to the set of NBC’s Today Friday for the first time in nearly two months after serious health issues and multiple hospitalizations late last year forced the long-time weather forecaster to miss weeks of broadcasts.
Al Roker attends the 6th Annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show at Moonlight Studios on February 17, 2022 … [+]
Key Facts
Roker, 68, will return on Friday, his co-anchors announced on-air Monday morning, with Hoda Kotb adding Roker will “be in his seat right where he belongs.”
Roker has been off the air since mid-November, when he was first admitted to the hospital over blood clots in his arms and legs, forcing him to miss the NBC broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City for the first time in more than 25 years, according to Today.
After a series of what Roker called “medical whack-a-mole,” he was discharged from the hospital just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, only to be readmitted at the end of the month due to complications (the second hospital stay forced him to sit out the coverage of the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree).
Roker was discharged from his second hospital stay December 8, but remained at home the next few weeks to rest, during which time he was surprised by his Today show colleagues who gathered at his home to sing Christmas carols on-air.
Key Background
Roker has been a regular on Today since 1996 and is among the most popular of the show’s on-air personalities, and is “America’s most trusted weatherman,” according to the New York Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. He’s known for holding “Rokerthons,” in which he attempts to break world records for charity. Roker has undergone multiple surgeries over the years, including a knee replacement in 2001, gastric bypass in 2002, an operation on his back in 2005 and a hip replacement in 2019. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2020 and underwent surgery to treat the disease.
Tangent
Roker’s tenure on Today has crossed over with some of the show’s most notable hosts in the series’ history, including Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Ann Currie and Meredith Vieira. Today has been on air for 70 years and is the fifth longest-running television series in the U.S.
Further Reading
Al Roker is returning to TODAY! See the details here (Today)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2023/01/03/l-roker-returning-to-today-after-health-scare/