See Al Roker Out Of The Hospital After Missing Thanksgiving Day Parade
Al Roker posts the first image of himself out of the hospital, after his big health scare.
This past Turkey Day, legendary weatherman Al Roker was missing from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years. Roker, who has been absent from his post on NBC’s Today show since early November due to a hospitalization, posted an update on social media with a lot to be thankful for. Roker managed to return home from the hospital in time for Thanksgiving dinner.
ABC Journalist Deborah Roberts, who wedded Al Roker in 1995, shared a Thanksgiving photo of Al at home with his family, who were all smiles. Her caption expressed heartfelt gratitude, as she welcomed her husband home for the holiday. Never one for the sidelines, Roker also took to Instagram with a selfie of himself watching the parade on television.
America has been starting the day with Al Roker since he started full-time on Today in 1996. His presence on the show has been a bastion of consistency for nearly three decades, but at the start of November, the esteemed weather anchor was nowhere to be seen. After an outpouring from concerned fans, Roker updated the country on his condition.
Roker was hospitalized due to blood clots that spread from his legs to his lungs. His mid-November update came in good spirits but indicated that the path to diagnosis and recovery had not been a smooth one. Though he is not yet back at his station on Today, his Thanksgiving Day discharge from the hospital had the newsman shining his classic Al Roker smile.
Earlier this Fall, the weatherman’s absence during coverage of Hurricane Ian had many asking where Al Roker, whose presence is practically synonymous with extreme weather events in the United States, had gone to. News broke soon after that Roker had contracted COVID-19. Roker reported mild symptoms from the initial infection; there has been no disclosure of a connection between Roker’s contraction of the virus and the blood clot scare that landed Roker in the hospital a month later.
The parade was bittersweet without Al. His Today show cohorts shouted their friend out, expressing how much he was missed by the news team, especially for this holiday tradition. Today show meteorologist Dylan Dreyer, who has filled in for Al Roker during his recent absence, covered the parade in Roker’s place. During a phone call with President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, Dreyer assured the concerned Bidens that Roker was doing well and was cheerful as ever.
A native of Queens, NY, Al Roker began his broadcasting career in the mid-1970s. He moved from Syracuse, NY to Cleveland, OH where he began his tenure at NBC with a local affiliate. By the early 1980s, Roker was back in New York City as a weathercaster where he quickly worked his way into a primetime position. He filled in for morning weather Anchor Willard Scott until eventually becoming a staple member of the morning show and a foundational part of the Today show.
Roker’s absence from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marks a disruption for one of America’s most dependable presences on television. While Al Roker was surely missed, his positive updates on social media and his enduring cheerful disposition indicate he’ll be waking up with America again sooner than later. Until then, America can rest easy knowing their favorite weatherman is enjoying the holidays at home with his family.
