The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade just doesn't feel the same without Al Roker. If you were streaming the parade this morning, you would have noticed that the long-time Today co-host missed his first parade in 27 years because he is recovering from blood clots in his leg and lungs. However, despite him not physically being at the parade, he was there in spirit as his co-anchors Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie wished him well.
During the parade this morning Kotb mentioned that normally they would turn the show over to Roker who was always on the parade route, but this year things are a bit different. She said:
For the past 27 parades, at this moment, Savannah, we would turn to Al Roker, who is our Today show colleague and our best pal. But as a lot of you have heard, Al's recovering — he's recovering very well from a recent medical issue. And we just want to say, we love you Al. Wondering if you're watching, but we wish you a full recovery.
Kotb’s fellow anchorwoman Savannah Guthrie also shared a heartfelt message for the lovable weather man, and explained the Today co-host Dylan Dreyer would take his place on the route this year. She said:
We love you, Al. We'll see you next year. And now, standing in for Al, Ms. Dylan Dreyer from the Today show. She's positioned uptown at the parade's start line. Hi Dylan, good morning!
Dreyer also chimed in from the route, wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to Roker, saying “we love you” and “we miss you.”
Roker is such a staple in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, that even Joe Biden mentioned him when he called into the parade to wish first responders and troops a happy holiday. The president said he’d be giving Roker a call today too.
Although the weatherman wasn’t able to be at the parade he did post a photo on Instagram from his home in front of the TV watching his co-workers present the annual parade, check it out:
For context, Roker has not been on Today for a little while because he has been in the hospital. This was due to complications from the blood clot in his leg and others in his lungs. While it’s scary to see the beloved host hospitalized, he seems optimistic about his recovery, and seeing him at home for the holiday and cheering his co-workers on is a great sign that he’s well on his way to returning to Today.
Roker seems to be an incredibly resilient and optimistic person which makes me sure he will be back on the morning show, and hopefully back for the parade next year. In 2020 Roker revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although he got the diagnosis, he has still been working hard, and not slowing down. In 2021 he traveled to cover Hurricane Ida at the age of 67, and depict criticism, he showed that he was up to the task. So, I'm positive he will be back to work, and doing what he does best in no time.
It seems like the lovable anchor is on his way back to good health. Hopefully, we’ll see him back on the show giving us more wholesome content like the time he let Matt Smith do the weather report soon. Hopefully, Roker takes the time he needs to rest and heal while we finish out the 2022 TV schedule, and be back and ready to roll soon.
