Fans of the Today show started the new year off with some good news, as it was learned that beloved weatherman Al Roker would be making his return on January 6. Roker had been away from the show since November, in and out of the hospital with blood clots in his legs and lungs. To be sure, it was a scary period for the morning show favorite and his family, but apparently, things were worse than we knew. Roker’s wife revealed details of what he’d been through, saying it’s a “miracle” that he survived.
ABC News journalist Deborah Roberts accompanied her husband on his first day back at work Friday morning, joining Al Roker and the rest of the Today crew to talk about what had transpired over the past couple of months. Roberts said most people didn’t know just how dire the weather anchor’s situation had gotten, saying:
It’s not lost on us that this is a major, major thing for Al to be here. He is a living, breathing miracle. He really is. And I have to say, I’m not overstating it, I don’t think. Al was a very, very, very sick man, and I think most people did not know that… It was a team that had to figure out what was happening. He was a medical mystery for a couple weeks, and it was the most tumultuous, frightening journey we have ever been on.
Al Roker revealed that he had internal bleeding, but the doctors didn’t know where it was coming from. “I lost half my blood,” he said, requiring a major surgery in which he said they removed two bleeding ulcers, resectioned his colon and removed his gallbladder.
It’s scary to hear just how serious Al Roker’s condition was, and apparently, how close he came to not making it. However, Deborah Roberts shared an amusing story about the moment she said she knew her husband would pull through. She said:
After fighting through all of this… Al went through a lot of tests, a lot of scopes, I mean it was just so much that had to be done, and a surgery — a major, major surgery. We were just on pins and needles every day, and I kept everybody abreast, our family, you all. And Al and I were sitting there one day in the hospital, and through this very scratchy voice, and he was so gaunt and exhausted, he said, ‘I’m gonna make a spatchcocked turkey for Christmas.’
The crew all laughed as Deborah Roberts recalled how she had hoped he'd survive until Christmas, while he was thinking about his turkey. She said she knew then that he had “that will, that drive,” and that he’d be OK.
Given this revelation of everything Al Roker has been through since missing his first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 27 years, it’s a really big deal that he was able to return to Today so quickly. The beloved anchor was beaming, as he reunited with his colleagues, joking that he’d wanted to return even earlier in the week (probably to reclaim his office from Hoda Kotb). Roker thanked the Today crew for their support and said:
My heart is just bursting. I’m just so thrilled to see all of you, and the crew and everybody. Right now, I’m running on adrenaline. I’m just thrilled to be here.
We are thrilled that Al Roker is there, as well, and we at CinemaBlend hope for the weather anchor’s continued health and a safe recovery after such a scary and serious couple of months. You can catch Roker on Today weekdays at 7 a.m. ET on NBC, and check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what else is headed our way this year.
