CANR
WORK TITLE: MURDER ON DEMAND
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.roker.com/main/index.htm
CITY: New York
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: CANR 310
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born August 20, 1954, in Queens, NY; son of Albert Lincoln, Sr. (a bus driver, dispatcher, and labor relations negotiator) and Isabel Roker; married Alice Bell, December 22, 1984 (divorced); married Deborah Roberts (a news correspondent), September 16, 1995; children: (first marriage) Courtney; (second marriage) Leila Ruth, Nicholas Albert.
EDUCATION:Attended State University of New York, Oswego.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Weather reporter and television personality. Appeared on (as weather reporter) WTVH, Syracuse, NY, 1974-76; (as weather reporter) WTTG, Washington, DC, 1976-78; (as weather reporter) WKYC, Cleveland, OH, 1978-83; (as weekend weather reporter) Live at 5, WNBC, New York, NY, 1983-84; (as weekday weather reporter) Live at 5, WNBC, 1984-96; (as weather reporter) Weekend Today, National Broadcasting Company (NBC), 1987-95; (as substitute weather reporter) Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, 1988-95; (as host) Al Roker (talk show), CNBC, 1993-96; (as weather reporter) Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, beginning 1995; (as weather reporter) Live at 5, WNBC, 1996-2000; (as feature reporter) Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, beginning 1996; (as host) Remember This? (quiz show), MSNBC, 1996-97; (as host) Going Places, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), 1997; and (as host) Wake Up with Al, the Weather Channel, 2009-15. Al Roker Entertainment (production company), president and chief executive officer.
Appeared in television specials, including Christmas at Rockefeller Center, NBC, annually, beginning 1985; Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NBC, annually, beginning 1995; (as narrator) Savage Skies (documentary), PBS, 1996; (as host) National Spelling Bee Championship Finals, CNBC, 1996; (as host) Tournament of Roses Parade, 1996; NY TV: By the People Who Made It, 1999; also appeared in What It’s Like to Be Al, MTV. Host and executive producer of television specials, including Al Roker’s World Championship Barbecue, Food Network, 1999; Al Roker’s Bahamas Reunion, Food Network, 2000; Al Roker’s Dining on the Strip, Food Network, 2000; Al Roker’s Midwest Fest, Food Network, 2000; Al Roker’s Colonial Christmas, Food Network, 2000; Al Roker’s Around the World in New York City, Food Network, 2001; Celebrity Holiday Homes, 2009; and Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Together for Care Telethon, 2010.
Guest star on television series, including Seinfeld, NBC, 1993; Mad about You, NBC, 1994; NewsRadio, NBC, 1996; The Single Guy, NBC, 1997; Superman, WB, 1998; Space Ghost Coast to Coast (animated), Cartoon Network, 1999; Will & Grace, NBC, 2000; Sesame Street, PBS, 2001; and Hollywood Squares, syndicated. Managing editor and segment producer of the television series Going Places, PBS, 1997. Narrator of the audiobook Don’t Make Me Stop This Car! Adventures in Fatherhood, Simon & Schuster Audio, 2000.
Al Roker Productions, Inc., New York, NY, president, beginning 1996; RokerWare Inc., president and merchandise designer, beginning 1996.
MEMBER:American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, American Meteorological Society, Screen Actors Guild, Friars Club.
AWARDS:Seal of Approval, American Meteorological Society, 1980; Emmy Award for best host, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (Cleveland chapter), 1981; Emmy Award for best on-air talent, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (New York chapter), 1984; named best weatherman, New York magazine, 1985, 1993; Emmy Award for best on-air host, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (New York chapter), 1989; distinguished leadership award, Fairfield University Alumni Association, 1994; Daytime Emmy Award for outstanding special class program, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 1997; distinguished alumnus award, State University of New York at Oswego, 1997; Emmy Award for outstanding Community Service, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 1997; named America’s favorite weather reporter, National Science Foundation, 1998; Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding special class program, National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, 1998, 1999, and 2000; Pinnacle of Achievement Award, Salvation Army, 2000; inducted into the Radio/Television Broadcaster’s Hall of Fame, 2002. Honorary D.H.L., State University of New York at Oswego, 1998.
WRITINGS
Columnist for Parents magazine. Contributor to periodicals, including TV Guide.
SIDELIGHTS
Al Roker, best known as the genial weather reporter on NBC’s Today morning show, never intended to be a weatherman. He went to college to study communications with the goal of becoming a director, but he took a meteorology class as a sophomore to satisfy his science requirement. Because of that class, Roker was able to get a part-time job as a weather reporter on a local station while he was still in college, and he soon found himself hooked. Although being a weatherman was Roker’s introduction to broadcasting, today he does much more on television than just report on sun and rain. Roker is a regular host for parades and other special events on NBC, and he owns his own production company and has starred in and executive produced several television specials for the Food Network.
Cooking, which is one of Roker’s great passions, is also the topic of two of his books: Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue: 100 Easy Recipes for Backyard Barbecue and Grilling and Al Roker’s Hassle-Free Holiday Cookbook: 125 Recipes for Family Celebrations All Year Long. The text of the former book is full of simple, tasty recipes—like Steaks as Big as Your Head, which are prepared with only garlic, rosemary, and butter—that anyone with a backyard grill can do. “I wanted this to be something that people feel comfortable with,” Roker told Michael Hastings in the Winston-Salem Journal. The recipes are simple and “clearly written,” Judith Sutton wrote in Library Journal, and the book is “punctuated by Roker’s trademark humor.”
Roker is also the author of Don’t Make Me Stop This Car! Adventures in Fatherhood. “I had always kept a journal,” Roker told Jack Bertram in the Jackson, Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger, “just talking about stuff that affects our daily lives. A friend saw it and said, ‘This is a book.’” In this “reassuring and gently humorous manual,” as a reviewer described it in Publishers Weekly, Roker reflects on his own father and candidly discusses the challenges of welcoming and raising his two daughters: Courtney was adopted and was a preteen when the book was written, and the infant Leila was conceived with Roker’s third wife, ABC news correspondent Deborah Roberts, through a difficult process of fertility treatments. “His exuberance leaps off the page” when the fertility treatments finally prove successful, the Publishers Weekly reviewer declared.
Writing Don’t Make Me Stop This Car! allowed Roker to fulfill an additional dream, being a cartoonist, as the book is illustrated with Roker’s own sketches. (Some of Roker’s cartoons can also be seen on his home page.) Roker learned cartooning from his father, who, Roker says, would have been a professional cartoonist if doing so had not been impossible for an African American at that time.
Roker’s forays into writing have been well received by readers. Don’t Make Me Stop This Car! reached number three on the New York Times best-seller list, and Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue was number one on the Los Angeles Times top-ten cookbook list.
“Billy Blessing” Novels
Venturing into fiction, Roker teamed with Dick Lochte to write the “Billy Blessing” series. Consisting of The Morning Show Murders, The Midnight Show Murders, and The Talk Show Murders, the series features an eponymous hero who works as a talk-show host and celebrity chef. Blessing is the food anchor on Wake Up America! and the head of a famous restaurant in New York City. When one of his network’s executives is killed, Blessing is accused; the executive was poisoned after eating a plate of Blessing’s coq au vin. The murder is later revealed to have been committed by an assassin who is also targeting Blessing.
Reviewers commended Roker’s foray into fiction, and online Mystery Reader contributor Gwen Osborne found that “Roker has used his behind-the-scenes knowledge of television production and food to craft an entertaining whodunit.” She went on to assert: “Roker and Lochte have made a good start with the series and I’m looking forward to the next installment.” Pat Cooper, writing on RT Book Reviews, was also impressed, noting that “Roker’s egalitarian brand of humor and … knowledge of food … and the television industry result in a witty and thrilling debut.” Proffering further praise in Booklist, Judy Coon remarked: “Roker, with the help of Lochte, writes engagingly and, of course, knowledgeably about network television.” Calling The Morning Show Murders a “crisp puzzler,” a Kirkus Reviews critic commended the “crackling dialogue and well-crafted settings.” According to the critic, these elements “lift Roker’s initial collaboration with veteran Lochte … above the typical celeb roman-a-clef.” In yet another laudatory assessment, a Publishers Weekly correspondent observed: “Snappy prose and well-developed characters will leave readers wanting to see more of Blessing.”
In the second series installment, The Midnight Show Murders, Blessing has been chosen to serve as a guest announcer on his network’s new program O’Day at Night. The show is hosted by Des O’Day, a well-known Irish comedian. A bomb kills one of the cast members on the set, and Blessing decides to find out who is behind the explosion. A Publishers Weekly reviewer dubbed the book a “fast-paced, exciting sequel,” adding that the “wry humor lifts this above most celebrity-written fiction.” In Kirkus Reviews a critic commented: “Roker and Lochte offer a satisfying entree to follow the appetizer they provided in The Morning Show Murders. ”
The series continues with The Talk Show Murders, in which Billy Blessing’s past comes back to haunt him. Before his transformation into a celebrity chef and morning show cohost, Blessing was actually Billy Blanchard, a small-time con artist who went to prison for his crimes. Now, while participating in a Chicago talk show, Blessing’s past comes back to life when fellow talk show guest Eddie Patton, a former cop, lets Blessing know during a break that he remembers Billy Blanchard but would be willing to forget the name for a certain sum of money. Blessing figures he will need to pay the blackmail, but Patton ends up dead hours later. More bodies begin to pile up, and now Billy is hurriedly looking for clues to the perpetrator before his own names is linked to the murders. “Despite its over-the-top finale, Roker and Lochte’s third is as well-paced and thoughtfully prepared as an Alice Waters tasting menu,” commented a Kirkus Reviews critic. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the “authors take things lightly …, but offer enough clues and twists to gratify fair-play fans.”
Speaking on the Today show with Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie, Roker shared his reason for wanting to venture into mystery writing: “My mom was a big murder mystery fan. You know, Ellery Queen and Rex Stout, and … whenever she finished, I would read [them]. So I always thought it would be fun to write a murder mystery. And I didn’t really think about it until I got teamed up with this guy, Dick Lochte, who is a fantastic mystery writer. And you know, I came up with these ideas, but he helped me get … the characters from point A to point B.”
Later Nonfiction
In Never Goin’ Back: Winning the Weight-Loss Battle for Good, Roker talks about his lifelong battle with weight. He looks at how bad eating habits as a youth later turned into an obsession with junk food, leading him to the very unhealthy weight of 340 pounds. He tried diets and inspirational reading, but nothing seemed to work for him. Finally, a death-bed promise to his father led Roker to try gastric bypass surgery and to turn to good nutrition and regular exercise, bringing his weight down to 190 pounds. Speaking with NPR’sTell Me More host Michel Martin, Roker commented on the inspiration for this book: “For some reason in the last few years, people are really curious about my weight loss and what I’ve done to keep it off. Whenever I’m, you know, at a public appearance or anything like that, that’s usually one of the first questions right before, what time do you get up every morning? So, you know, I thought, so many people struggle with their weight. You know, I don’t want anybody to think, OK. I read this book and I’m going to lose 100 pounds. That’s not the case. It’s really more of a memoir seen through the prism of weight loss and somebody who’s struggled with weight all their life.”
Reviewing Never Goin’ Back in Booklist, Carol Haggas called it a “searingly honest and genuinely relatable account.” A Publishers Weekly contributor noted: “Readers will appreciate this personable weatherman’s candor and humor as he chronicles his struggle and ultimate success.” Likewise, a Kirkus Reviews critic concluded: “Worth skimming only if you are struggling to lose weight and considering gastric bypass surgery.”
Weatherman Roker turns to his own field of expertise in The Storm of the Century: Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America’s Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900, a narrative history of the huge storm that hit Galveston, Texas, on September 8, 1900, with winds of over 200 miles per hour. The city was unprepared for the disaster, and the hurricane killed more than ten thousand people and caused twenty million dollars of damage (in 1900 dollars). The Storm of the Century is also an account of Isaac Cline, a famous weatherman in his day. Despite his reputation, Cline did not see this storm coming, and therefore Galveston’s populace (including his own family) was not warned. In an interview on the Diane Rehm Show, Roker commented on the inspiration for this book. He noted that he began thinking about extreme weather events as the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approached. “Everybody in meteorology talk[s] about major hurricanes and you always have to talk about Galveston,” Roker told Rehm. “And I started reading up more about it again. It had been a long time since I had looked at [it] and the more I read about it, I thought, my gosh, this is, you know, I mean, Katrina was horrible. There’s no question about it. But the death toll and the devastation in Galveston really dwarfs Katrina.”
A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that in The Storm of the Century, Roker “sets the stage for the drama with a comprehensive, but accessible history of Galveston.” Library Journal contributor Laura Hiatt-Smith also had praise for the book, commenting: “Readers who are new to the subject would be well served in choosing this compelling work.” A Kirkus Reviews critic observed that the “narrative of the storm and its gruesome aftermath moves along briskly” in this “compelling” tale.
Roker worked with his wife, Deborah Roberts, and with author Laura Morton to write Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times, both a memoir and parenting guide. Writing in USA Today, Jocelyn McClurg noted of Roker and Roberts: “In the anecdote-filled [ Been There, Done That ], they talk about growing up in large families with strong parents …, their careers and raising their kids. And they discuss the help they’ve gotten over the years from couples therapy.”
“This is an entertaining, encouraging read and a sweet testament to the couple’s devotion to their marriage and family,” noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer of Been There, Done That. Further praise came from Xpress Reviews contributor Judy Solberg, who commented that readers will feel a “connection to the couple as they share the struggles in their marriage and talk candidly about the challenges of raising their children.”
[OPEN NEW]
The deadliest flood in American history is the topic of Al Roker’s nonfiction book Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster. The storms came on May 31, 1889, dumping almost a foot of rain in central Pennsylvania in less than twenty-four hours. A dam had been built to create a private lake for the wealthy, but the swelling Little Conemaugh River threatened to breach the dam. Engineers tried to warn the nearby residents of Johnstown of the disaster to come, but the residents had heard false alarms before and did not take heed. In the end, the town was wiped out, and more than 2,200 people were killed. Roker not only chronicles the weather event and the destruction, but he also portrays the various people involved, including Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross who spent months in Johnstown on relief work.
Priscill Akipp, writing in BookPage, praised Roker for how he “vividly re-creates the tragedy” and “brings the reader so deeply into the moment.” Akipp also pointed out that weather disasters compounded by human error and hubris have a long history. A writer in Kirkus Reviews agreed that the story of the disaster is well-told, calling the book “exciting” and “tragic.” They also noted that Roker is “very alert to the class issues that underlay it all,” and they appreciated how Roker points out how Americans are “quick to help people suffering in a natural disaster but not suffering from everyday poverty and disease.” A reviewer in Publishers Weekly echoed those thoughts, calling the book “a good yarn and a morality tale” about how the wealthy often avoid blame for their own mistakes.
You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success is a more personal nonfiction book. Roker combines anecdotes from his life with advice on how to be happy and successful. The stories of his own life do not gloss over the tough times he has faced, such as facing an emotional breakdown at work or being pushed to move into a different line of work, but many of them are comical or give a behind-the-scenes perspective on Roker’s forty-year broadcasting career.
A writer in Publishers Weekly described this as a “sunny, pleasant book” that is “perfect for Roker fans or anyone in need of a quick pick me up.” The review noted that the tone of the book “mirrors” how Roker acts on television. Candace Smith, in Booklist, agreed, writing that “Roker writes like he talks.” She called the book an “entertaining combination of memoir and self-help,” and she thought teenagers would enjoy the book if they could be convinced to read it. A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews was enthusiastic, praising the book as “sage advice” and “ebullient revelations of a contented life.” They wrote that Roker shares a “host of lively anecdotes.”
Roker returns to the character of Billy Blessing and the “Morning Show Murders” series with the fourth installment, Murder on Demand. Collaborating this time with Matt Costello, Roker imagines Billy ten years after the third book, having lost his job because of a personal scandal and the upheaval in network television. Instead, Billy has moved to Long Island, where he works as a chef in his new restaurant. Then a young woman shows up talking about her father who has gone missing after a boating accident. The police think it is only an accident, but the woman convinces Billy to investigate to see if it might have been something more. Meanwhile, a streaming service is trying to entice Billy back in front of the camera. “Murder’s always exciting in Roker’s latest romp,” wrote a reviewer in Kirkus Reviews. They appreciated the way the book balances Billy’s investigation with his dilemma over whether to return to television.
[CLOSE NEW]
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 12, Gale (Detroit, MI), 1996.
Newsmakers, Issue 1, Gale (Detroit, MI), 2003.
Roker, Al, Don’t Make Me Stop This Car! Adventures in Fatherhood, self-illustrated, Scribner (New York, NY), 2000.
PERIODICALS
Appleseeds, March, 2012, Leila Roker, “My Father, Al Roker,” p. 2.
Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ), July 24, 2002, Karen Fernau, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue: 100 Easy Recipes for Backyard Barbecue and Grilling, p. FD3.
Beef, May 23, 2013, Amanda Radke, “Al Roker Visits Family Farm on ‘Today Show.’”
Booklist, November 1, 2009, Judy Coon, review of The Morning Show Murders, p. 26; December 1, 2012, Carol Haggas, review of Never Goin’ Back: Winning the Weight-Loss Battle for Good, p. 15; July 1, 2015, Carl Hays, review of The Storm of the Century: Tragedy, Heroism, Survival, and the Epic True Story of America’s Deadliest Natural Disaster: The Great Gulf Hurricane of 1900, p. 20; May 1, 2020, Candace Smith, review of You Look So Much Better in Person, p. 6.
BookPage, June, 2018, Priscill Akipp, review of Ruthless Tide, p. 24.
Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, OH), June 13, 2000, “Al Roker Loves Being a Dad,” p. 3B.
Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), June 17, 2001, Jack Bertram, interview with Roker, p. G5.
Daily Variety, January 14, 2002, Marc Berman, profile of Roker, p. B6.
Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH), May 22, 2002, Ann Heller, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. 4C.
Detroit News, May 23, 2002, Kate Lawson, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. 8.
Entertainment Weekly, February 11, 1994, Bruce Fretts, interview with Roker and others, pp. 42-43; January 31, 1997, Bruce Fretts, interview with Roker, p. 43.
Fund Raising Management, January, 2000, “Salvation Army to Honor Al Roker at Annual Luncheon,” p. 21.
Good Housekeeping, December, 2003, Kate Coyne, “More Than Just Merry: Inside the Festive Home of Today‘s Al Roker and His Wife, 20/20 Reporter Deborah Roberts,” p. 97.
Hollywood Reporter, August 12, 2011, Daniel Miller, “The Weather Channel Is Teaming with Al Roker (WHE) for Coast Guard Alaska,” p. 13.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2009, review of The Morning Show Murders; October 1, 2010, review of The Midnight Show Murders; April 1, 2018, review of Ruthless Tide; May 1, 2020, review of You Look So Much Better in Person; March 1, 2024, review of Murder on Demand.
Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, January 10, 2003, R.D. Heldenfels, “Al Roker Willingly Tackles Race in Cable Show,” p. K7356; December 15, 2011, review of The Talk Show Murders; November 15, 2012, review of Never Goin’ Back; May 15, 2015, review of The Storm of the Century.
Library Journal, June 1, 2000, Douglas C. Lord, review of Don’t Make Me Stop This Car!, p. 168; April 15, 2002, Judith Sutton, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. 120; November 15, 2003, Judith Sutton, review of Al Roker’s Hassle-Free Holiday Cookbook: 125 Recipes for Family Celebrations All Year Long, p. 94; December 15, 2003, Renee Enna, “Roker’s Rx for Holiday Survival,” p. K2307; June 1, 2015, Laura Hiatt-Smith, review of The Storm of the Century, p. 116.
New York, August 17, 1987, Lucy Schulte, “Roker the Rain King,” p. 20.
New York Times, September 2, 1992, Evelyn Nieves, “Bright and Warm and Hold the Thunder,” p. C1; June 9, 2002, Linda Lee, “Grillmaster Weather,” p. ST5.
Parade, January 5, 1997, James Brady, “In Step With: Al Roker,” p. 18.
Parents, June, 2001, Joanne Powell, profile of Roker and his family, pp. 98-100.
People, October 2, 1995, “Forecast: Sunny. TV Weatherman Al Roker Takes 20/20‘s Deborah Roberts beyond Bridal Showers,” p. 72; October 7, 1996, Samantha Miller, “Chasing the Clouds Away,” p. 42; November 4, 1996, Kim Cunningham, “The Gravity Gene,” p. 150; April 12, 1999, Jeremy Helligar, “Baby Love: Today Weatherman Al Roker and His Wife, 20/20‘s Deborah Roberts, Go Gaga over Their New Daughter,” p. 85; August 5, 2002, Olivia Abel, “Passages: Births,” p. 77; November 18, 2002, Michelle Tauber, “100 & Counting: A New Day Dawns for Today‘s Al Roker, Who Speaks Candidly about the Gastric Bypass Surgery That Transformed His Life,” p. 104; December 8, 2003, Michelle Tauber, “How’s Al Doing? A Year after Going Public with His Weight-Loss Surgery, Al Roker Weighs the Pros and Cons of His Mega-Makeover,” p. 101.
Plain Dealer (Cleveland, OH), October 2, 2000, Tom Feran, “See More Roker as Today Show Adds Third Hour,” p. 1D; June 12, 2002, Joe Crea, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. F1.
PR Week, October, 2015, “Business Wire Is Partnering with Weather Anchor and Television Personality Al Roker to Develop Video Content Focused on ‘Disruptive’ Companies and the Startup Community,” p. 6.
Publishers Weekly, June 19, 2000, review of Don’t Make Me Stop This Car!, p. 68; May 6, 2002, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. 50; September 21, 2009, review of The Morning Show Murders, p. 36; September 6, 2010, review of The Midnight Show Murders, p. 23; October 17, 2011, review of The Talk Show Murders, p. 54; December 24, 2012, review of Never Goin’ Back, p. 50; June 15, 2015, review of The Storm of the Century, p. 76; December 7, 2015, review of Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times, p. 83; March 26, 2018, review of Ruthless Tide, p. 109; May 18, 2020, review of You Look So Much Better in Person, p. 52.
Record (Bergen County, NJ), January 13, 1997, Alan Solomon, “Roker’s New Barometer of Success,” p. Y1; July 10, 2002, Linda Giuca, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. F8.
Runner’s World, November, 2011, Sarah Yuff Dunn, author interview, p. 126.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 15, 2002, Josh Stevens, review of Al Roker’s Big Bad Book of Barbecue, p. 24.
Star Ledger (Newark, NJ), January 3, 1997, “Daughter Motivates Roker to Shed the Pounds,” p. 3; September 3, 1998, “Tough Nuns Gave Roker a Forecast of Success,” p. 3.
Tampa Tribune (Tampa, FL), November 20, 1999, interview with Roker, p. 1; April 22, 2001, “A Day in the Life of Al,” p. 1.
Tell Me More, January 28, 2013, “Al Roker on Being ‘the Jolly Fat Person.’”
TV Guide, December 9, 2000, Al Roker, “Pop o’ the Mornin’,” pp. 28-30; September 21, 2002, J. Max Robins, “Al’s Thinking Big,” pp. 53-54.
USA Today, August 11, 2015, Matt Damsker, review of The Storm of the Century, p. 1; January 7, 2016, Jocelyn McClurg, “Al Roker, Deborah Roberts: Opposites Really Do Attract,” p. 4.
US Weekly, July 23, 2001, Nina Burleigh, profile of Roker, pp. 40-41.
Washington Post, November 24, 2015, Fredrick Kunkle, “‘Today’ Co-host Al Roker Says Taxi Passed Him up for a White Passenger.”
Winston-Salem Journal (Winston-Salem, NC), May 29, 2002, Michael Hastings, interview with Roker, p. E1.
Woman’s Day, December 16, 2003, “The Holiday Forecast: Our Favorite Weatherman Cooks Up a Storm with Our Readers,” interview with Roker, p. 137.
Xpress Reviews, December 18, 2015, Judy Solberg, review of Been There, Done That.
ONLINE
Al Roker Entertainment website, https://alrokerentertainment.com (April 17, 2024), author profile.
Al Roker Home Page, http://www.roker.com (March 15, 2016).
Diane Rehm Show, http://thedianerehmshow.org/ (August 11, 2015), Diane Rehm, “Al Roker: The Storm of the Century,” interview with Roker.
Entertainment Weekly, https://ew.com (July 29, 2020), Rosy Cordero, “Al Roker Says to Throw Away Your 5-Year Plan in New Book You Look So Much Better in Person.”
Internet Movie Database, http://www.imdb.com/ (March 15, 2016), “Al Roker.”
MSNBC.com, http://www.msnbc.com/ (June 17, 2003), biography of Roker; “Al Roker Is ‘The Thin Man.’”
Mystery Reader, http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (December 10, 2011), Gwen Osborne, review of The Morning Show Murders.
Parade, https://parade.com (March 29, 2024), “From Under the Weather to On the Mend! What We Know About Al Roker’s Health Problems.”
RT Book Reviews, http://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (December 10, 2011), Pat Cooper, review of The Morning Show Murders.
Today Online, http://www.today.com/ (December 6, 2011), Ann Curry, “Interview: Al Roker Discusses His Book The Talk Show Murders”; (December 6, 2011), Kathie Lee Gifford, “Interview: Al Roker Speaks about New Book The Talk Show Murders”; (December 13, 2011), Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie, “Interview: Al Roker Discusses New Novel The Talk Show Murders”; (January 4, 2016), Eun Kyung Kim, “Al Roker and Wife Deborah Roberts Open Up about Marriage, Parenting in New Book.”
USA Today Online, http://www.usatoday.com/ (January 7, 2016), Jocelyn McClurg, “Al Roker, Deborah Roberts Write about Their Marriage”; July 27, 2020, Morgan Hines, “‘You’ve Got to Find a Team’: Al Roker Shares Career, Life Lessons in Inspiring New Book.”
Variety Online, http://variety.com/ (July 27, 2015), Brian Steinberg, “Al Roker Offers Forecast of TV’s Future with Trio of Meerkat Programs.”
Weekend Edition Saturday, http://www.npr.org/ (August 8, 2015), “The Weatherman Who Couldn’t Foresee the Storm.”*
Al Roker is an institution. As the weatherman on NBC’s TODAY Show and co-anchor of the 3rd Hour of TODAY, Al has enjoyed the undivided attention of the nation – over 30 million viewers per week – every weekday morning as America prepares for school and work.Spanning more than 40 years on TV and 14 Emmy awards, Al conducts interviews with celebrities and newsmakers around the world and does a wide variety of segments on every imaginable subject. Al also co-anchors the popular 3rd Hour of Today, presenting lifestyle segments that touch all Americans. You can also catch Al Roker on TODAY.com/allday and on Off The Rails on TODAY Show Radio, Channel 108 on SiriusXM radio.
As an award-winning television producer and CEO of Al Roker Entertainment, Inc. (ARE) Al has executive produced numerous TV programs for network, cable, digital, and streaming channels. Not only will you find an Al Roker-produced TV show on your favorite channel, Al Roker Entertainment also produces trusted social impact video content, commercials, and branded entertainment for a wide array of sponsors and non-profits.
You Look So Much Better In Person by Al RokerAl is also a prolific author with 13 acclaimed books to his credit – from cookbooks to true life historical narratives, and his latest tome, “You Look So Much Better In Person – True Stories Of Absurdity and Success” is a humorous and highly personal collection of essays based on lessons for living a happy life and achieving success through the power of saying “yes!”“ Al’s mystery novel, “The Morning Show Murders” (part of a three-book mystery trilogy) has developed into a series of six successful murder mysteries for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries.
Recently, “America’s Weatherman” added his name to the long and notable list of TED speakers when he talked to the TED Countdown Summit in Detroit, Michigan about the knock-on effects of extreme weather due to climate change.
As an avid social media contributor, Al regularly tweets on X @AlRoker, shares photos from his travels (and his amazing cooking) on Instagram, and talks with his audience on Facebook. He also has a book page on Facebook for fans of his writing.
Al lives in New York City with his wife, ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts, and has three kids.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al Roker
Roker in 2022
Born Albert Lincoln Roker Jr.
August 20, 1954 (age 69)
New York City, U.S.
Alma mater
SUNY Oswego (B.A. Communications, 1976)
Xavier High School
Occupations
Journalisttelevision personalityweather presenteractorauthor
Years active 1974–present
Spouses
First wife (divorced)
Alice Bell
(m. 1984, divorced)
Deborah Roberts (m. 1995)
Children 3
Relatives
Roxie Roker (paternal first cousin, once removed)
Lenny Kravitz (paternal second cousin)
Zoë Kravitz (paternal second cousin, once removed)
Website AlRoker.com
Albert Lincoln Roker Jr.[1] (born August 20, 1954)[1] is an American weather presenter, journalist, television personality, and author. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's Today,[2] and occasionally co-hosts 3rd Hour Today. He has an inactive American Meteorological Society Television Seal #238.[3]
Early life
Roker was born in the borough of Queens, New York City,[1] the son of Isabel, of Jamaican descent, and Albert Lincoln Roker Sr.,[4] a bus driver of Bahamian descent.[5] He initially wanted to be a cartoonist.[4] He was raised Catholic,[4] his mother's faith, and graduated from Xavier High School in Manhattan.[6] He attended the State University of New York at Oswego where he received a B.A. in communications in 1976.[1]
Career
Roker outside the Pentagon during Barack Obama's 2009 Inauguration
Early career (1974–95)
Roker worked as a weather anchor for CBS affiliate WHEN-TV (now WTVH) in Syracuse, New York from 1974 until 1976, while he was enrolled at SUNY Oswego. During his time in Oswego, he also DJ'd at the campus radio station, WNYO.[7] Following the completion of his studies, Roker moved to Washington, D.C. and took a weathercasting position at independent station WTTG, then owned by Metromedia, remaining there for much of the next two years.
Roker's career with NBC began in 1978 when he was hired at WKYC in Cleveland, then an NBC owned-and-operated station. After five years in Cleveland, Roker was promoted to the network's flagship outlet, WNBC-TV in his hometown. Roker returned to New York City in late 1983 as a weekend weathercaster, and within eight months became the station's regular weeknight weathercaster. Roker replaced 27-year WNBC-TV veteran Dr. Frank Field, who left the network over a contract dispute. From 1983 to 1996, Roker was the regular substitute for forecaster Joe Witte on the NBC News program NBC News at Sunrise, and from 1990 to 1995 filled in for Willard Scott, Bryant Gumbel and 1997 through 2000's for Matt Lauer on the Today Show. In 1995, he became the host of The Al Roker Show,[8] a weekend talk show on CNBC.
Roker received wider exposure when David Letterman asked him to join in an elevator race on an episode of the talk show Late Night with David Letterman, which taped across the hall from the WNBC news studio in the GE Building. This led to Roker becoming the forecaster for Weekend Today.[5] He also substituted on the weekday edition of Today[5] when Willard Scott was ill or away.
Full time on the Today show (1996–present)
In early 1996, Scott announced his semi-retirement from Today. On January 26, 1996, Roker received the regular weekday weather slot. Roker's studio remote forecasts, interviewing visitors outside and giving them some camera time, became a staple. Roker conducted more interviews and segments on the show over time. He continues the daily tradition of birthday wishes to centenarians that began with Scott.[9]
In 2005, Roker reported from inside Hurricane Wilma.[10] A popular viral video shows him swept off his feet by the fierce wind and clinging to the cameraman.[10]
In addition to his role as Today Show weather man and anchor, Roker co-hosted the third hour of Today called Today's Take, beginning November 12, 2012. Today's Take was cancelled in February 2017 for Megyn Kelly Today and aired its final episode on September 22, 2017. After Megyn Kelly Today was cancelled in 2018, Roker returned to co-host 3rd Hour Today.
During the 2013 inauguration of Barack Obama, Roker received a handshake from Joe Biden.[11] Years later, as an NBC News reporter at Biden's own 2021 inauguration, Roker received a fist bump from the newly inaugurated president moments before Biden entered the White House.[12]
In November 2014, Roker embarked on a "Rokerthon", in which he did a non-stop, 34-hour weather forecast on NBC, from 10:05 p.m. on November 12, 2014, until about 8:00 a.m. on November 14, 2014.[13] The record-setting event was a fundraiser for the Crowdrise Campaign to benefit the military and USO. He held a "Rokerthon 2", this time reporting weather from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. during the week from November 6 to November 13, 2015, in support of Feeding America.[14][15] From March 27 until March 31, 2017, he embarked on "Rokerthon 3", visiting colleges and setting a Guinness World Record at each one, such as the longest conga line on ice and largest human letter.[16]
Other work
Roker has hosted NBC's coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1995 (with the exception of 2022), where he provides commentary along with some of his Today Show colleagues. He is known as the "uptown" host, whose main roles include cutting the ribbon during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the start of the parade, and interviewing celebrities who are watching the parade from its start at 77th Street. Roker was unable to host the coverage of the parade in 2022 after recovering from blood clots that had led to being hospitalized.[17]
Roker is a game show fan. From 1996 to 1997, he hosted a game show on MSNBC called Remember This?.[8] He substituted for Meredith Vieira for a week of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire shows from March 5–9, 2007.[18]
In 2008, Roker hosted NBC's Celebrity Family Feud.[19] He hosted a week-long feature on Today profiling five game shows and their hosts in July 2016 titled "Game On Today". He has appeared as a celebrity player on both Merv Griffin game shows Jeopardy![20] and Wheel of Fortune.[20]
Roker has hosted programs on Food Network,[21] namely, Roker on the Road,[21] and Tricked-Out Tailgating. He is also an avid barbecue enthusiast.[19]
Roker provided forecasts for several radio stations, including the New York smooth jazz radio station WQCD (101.9 FM) and for Cleveland smooth jazz station WNWV (107.3 FM), through a service called the "Al Roker Radio Weather Network", distributed by United Stations Radio Networks. It has since been replaced by Accuweather.[22] He also had a one and a half hour weekday morning stint live from 5:00–7:00 a.m. on The Weather Channel under the name Wake Up with Al which aired from 2009 until 2015.
Theatre
On 22 May 2003, Roker made a cameo in The Play What I Wrote on Broadway as the Mystery Guest Star.[23]
It was announced on September 5, 2018, that Roker would make his Broadway debut portraying Joe in the musical Waitress for a six-week run from October 5 to November 11.[24] He later returned to the show for a limited run from November 1 to 24, 2019.[25]
On 19 December 2023, he returned to Broadway for a one night only cameo in Gutenberg! The Musical! as the Producer.[26] On 28 March 2024, Roker was in Back to the Future: The Musical on Broadway as Strickland.[27]
Author
Roker at the 81st Academy Awards in February 2009
Writing with Dick Lochte, Roker co-authored a series of murder mysteries beginning in 2009 that feature Billy Blessing, a celebrity chef turned amateur detective. The second book in the series, The Midnight Show Murders (2010), was nominated for a 2011 Nero Award.[28] The Morning Show Murders, also published in 2010, was made into the 2018 movie on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries with Holly Robinson Peete in the lead role.[29]
In 2016, the non-fiction book Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times, written by Roker and his wife Deborah Roberts, was published.[30]
Personal life
Following an early marriage and divorce,[31] Roker married WNBC producer Alice Bell in December 1984.[32] He and Bell adopted daughter Courtney as an infant in 1987.[33] Roker and Bell later divorced.[31] Roker married TV journalist Deborah Roberts on September 16, 1995.[31] They are the parents of daughter Leila (b. November 17, 1998)[34] and son Nicholas (b. July 18, 2002).[35]
On November 7, 2010, Roker ran in the ING New York City Marathon.[36][37]
Roker is an honorary member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.[38]
On May 10, 2021, Roker returned to his former stomping grounds in Cleveland to report on the city's reopening efforts following the COVID-19 pandemic, and while live on the Today Show, WKYC chief meteorologist Betsy Kling announced that the station had named the radar tower on top of the WKYC building the "Roker Tower" in his honor, and presented Roker a plaque to commemorate the occasion.[39]
Health
Roker with members of the United States Navy, 2000
On Thursday, June 7, 2001, Roker underwent a total knee arthoplasty (replacement, or "TKA") on his left knee.[40]
In 2002,[41] Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, which he said he did after failing at numerous diets. Eight months after the surgery, the New York Daily News reported he had dropped 100 pounds (45 kg) from his 320 lb (150 kg) figure.[42] Roker wrote about his battle with weight loss in Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight Loss Battle For Good, published in 2013.[43]
In 2005, he had a back operation.[44] He had another knee replacement surgery in 2016.[45]
In October 2018, Roker underwent emergency carpal tunnel surgery.[46]
In September 2019, he had a hip replacement surgery.
In November 2020, he revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2020.[47] He had a successful operation on November 9,[48] and by November 17 he was at home recovering.[49]
In November 2022, after being absent from Today for a few days, Roker revealed he was in the hospital being treated for blood clots in his lungs.[50] He returned to the show on January 6, 2023, revealing he also suffered from internal bleeding which necessitated surgery, two bleeding ulcers, colon resection surgery when part or all of the colon is removed, and gallbladder removal surgery.[51] Roker credits his wife and NewYork-Presbyterian physicians and staff for saving his life.[52]
Charity work
In 2007, Roker became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.[53] He also served as the official spokesperson for Amtrak's National Train Day, which took place on May 10, 2008.[54]
Controversy
2012 Olympic logo controversy
"Remember that controversial Olympic logo for the 2012 Olympics in London? Some folks have complained that the campaign actually sent them into epileptic seizures. Well, we asked you to weigh in on our website in an informal poll; those of you who could get up off the floor after shaking around were able to actually log in"[55]
— Al Roker, June 7, 2007, describing the reaction to the logo for 2012 Summer Olympics
The following day Roker stated, "I started joking about [the logo]. I want to make this clear—I was not joking about epilepsy or anyone who suffers from epilepsy. We understand and know that this is a serious affliction and would never joke about that. We were joking about the logo—not about epilepsy. If anybody was offended, I heartily and really humbly apologize."[55]
Cab driver
On November 23, 2015, Roker alleged racial discrimination and filed a complaint after he and his son attempted to hail a cab. The cab driver reportedly had passed them in order to pick up a white man on the next block. Roker stated on Twitter that a "cabbie picked up a white guy a block away. Wonder why Uber wins?" According to the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission, the driver would either have to pay a $500 fine or possibly have his license suspended.[56][57][58]
Signature phrases
Roker often says "That's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods" when transitioning from the national weather broadcast to the local affiliate.[59]
On many occasions on Today he has used the phrase "man candy" to describe attractive males.[60]
When he mentions Sunday's weather forecast on weekdays, often he repeats the word "Sunday", imitating the drag racing promotional catchphrase.[61]
During Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ribbon cutting ceremonies, he is joined by the producers of the parade or the CEO of Macy's and special guests in kicking off the parade with the countdown "5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Let's have a parade!"[62]
Other appearances and activities
On the May 9, 1998, episode of Saturday Night Live (hosted by David Duchovny), Roker appeared in a "Mango" sketch with Matt Lauer. The typical Mango sketch involved a person becoming obsessed with Mango, a character portrayed by cast member Chris Kattan.[63]
Roker voiced a caricature of himself as a faustian figure in two episodes of the animated Disney Channel series The Proud Family, a role he reprised in the Disney+ revival, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.[64]
During the first inaugural parade of President Barack Obama, Al Roker obtained the "first interview" with the new president by waving his fedora hat and yelling to the walking Obama to come over. Acknowledging Roker, the perambulating president continued on, telling him "it's warm!"[65]
Roker holds the record for most appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with over 30. He would often appear on the show as a last-minute replacement if a previously scheduled guest canceled their appearance.[66]
Roker makes a cameo appearance as the honorary Orange Wiggle in The Wiggles song, "Thank You, Mr. Weatherman" on their 2011 release "Ukulele, Baby!"
Roker had a cameo appearance in Sharknado 2: The Second One, which premiered on Syfy on July 30, 2014.
He reprised the cameo in the sequels Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, which premiered on July 22, 2015, Sharknado: The 4th Awakens, which premiered on July 31, 2016, Sharknado 5: Global Swarming in 2017, and The Last Sharknado: It's About Time in 2018.
Roker appeared as the guest ring announcer at WrestleMania 33, for the match between John Cena and Nikki Bella, versus The Miz and Maryse.
In 2014, Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Robert Papp named Roker an honorary commodore in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary.[67] Roker had produced and narrated a Coast Guard documentary television series.
In 2018, Roker appeared in episode 400 of My Brother, My Brother, and Me
In 2018, Roker appeared in the Hallmark television movie Morning Show Mysteries: Mortal Mishaps based on the book series he co-authored.
In 2019, Roker appeared in the Hallmark television movie Morning Show Mysteries: Death by Design based on the book series he co-authored.
In 2022, Roker would make a cameo in a season 47 Please Don't Destroy sketch on SNL alongside actor Paul Rudd and writers Martin Herlihy, John Higgins and Ben Marshall.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1990 Another World Himself Television series; one episode
1993 Seinfeld Himself Episode: "The Cigar Store Indian"
1994 Reading Rainbow Himself Episode: "Hail to Mail"
1994 Mad About You Himself Episode: "Pandora's Box"
1994 Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Himself Episode: "Tales You Lose"
1996 NewsRadio Guy Episode: "President"
1997 The Single Guy Dr. Benjamin Television series; one episode
1997 Men in Black Alien on TV monitor Uncredited
1998 Superman: The Animated Series Weather presenter (voice) Episode: "Little Girl Lost"
1998 Quest for Camelot Knight (voice)
1998, 2007, 2022 Saturday Night Live Himself Television series; three episodes
1999 Space Ghost Coast to Coast Himself Episode: "Chambraigne"
2000 Will & Grace Himself Episode: "Acting Out"
2001 Sesame Street Himself Episode: "Hurricane, Part 1"
2003 Freedom: A History of Us Christian reorder editor
Henry McNeal Turner Television miniseries
2003-2004 The Proud Family Faustian Al Roker (voice) Television series; two episodes
2003 Wholey Moses Weather presenter (voice) Short film
2003 Cyberchase Sam Vander Rom (voice) Television series; three episodes
2005 Robots Mailbox (voice)
2005 Madagascar Newscaster #3 (voice)
2006 Unaccompanied Minors Himself
2007, 2012 30 Rock Himself Television series; two episodes
2008 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Newscaster (voice)
2009 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Patrick Patrickson (voice)
2011 WordGirl Sonny Days (voice) Episode: "Sonny Days with a Chance of Showers"
2011 The Big Year New York Weather presenter
2012 The Pirates! Band of Misfits! The Pirate Who Likes Sunsets and Kittens (voice) United States release only
2012–2013 The Penguins of Madagascar Gil Force (voice)
2012 Treme Himself Episode: "Promised Land"
2012 The Simpsons Himself (voice) Episode: “Moonshine River”
2013 The Michael J. Fox Show Himself Episode: "Pilot"
2013 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Patrick Patrickson (voice)
2014 Sharknado 2: The Second One Himself Television film
2015 Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Himself Television special
2015 Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! Himself Television film
2016 Kung Fu Panda 3 Dim (voice)
2016 Ghostbusters Himself Cameo
2016 Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Himself Television film
2017 WWE WrestleMania 33 Himself Pay-Per View, Guest Ring Announcer
2017 Sharknado 5: Global Swarming Himself Television film
2018 The Last Sharknado: It's About Time Himself Television film[68]
2018 Morning Show Mysteries Himself 1 episode; Also executive producer 6 episodes
2019 Zombieland: Double Tap Himself
2020 The Blacklist Himself Episode: "Roy Cain"[69]
2021 Who Are You, Charlie Brown? Himself Documentary special
2021 Martha Gets Down and Dirty Himself Episode: "Fire Up the Wieners"[70]
2022 The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder Faustian Al Roker Episode: "When You Wish Upon a Roker"
2023 Good Burger 2 Himself Cameo[71]
Works
2000: Don't Make Me Stop This Car! reflections on fatherhood ISBN 9780684868936
2013: Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight-Loss Battle For Good ISBN 978-0-451-41493-9
2016: Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times co-written with his wife Deborah Roberts. ISBN 978-0-451-46636-5
Billy Blessing novels
2009: The Morning Show Murders. Co-authored by Dick Lochte. ISBN 0-385-34368-X.
2010: The Midnight Show Murders. Co-authored by Dick Lochte; nominated for the 2011 Nero Award. ISBN 0-385-34369-8.
2011: The Talk Show Murders. Co-authored by Dick Lochte. ISBN 0-385-34370-1.
From Under the Weather to On the Mend! What We Know About Al Roker's Health Problems
Find out why Al Roker was missing from "TODAY"—and how he's doing now.
PARADEUPDATED:MAR 29, 2024
Al Roker is back at work and doing well over a year after his medical absence in 2022.
The beloved weatherman returned to TV on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, after an extended absence for medical reasons beginning in fall 2022, and he revealed in late March 2023.
Related: Get to Know Al Roker's Other Half Deborah Roberts
The TV personality missed his first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 27 years after being hospitalized for blood clots. Thankfully, Roker left the hospital in time to have Thanksgiving dinner at home, but was admitted again at the end of November for "unspecified reasons," according to TODAY, and missed the annual lighting of the Rockefeller Christmas tree on Nov. 30, 2022.
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While Roker told his co-workers on the TODAY show that he's "got a number of issues," he shared, "I feel good, I feel strong, and every day I feel a little bit better."
Here is everything we know about Al Roker's health.
Why was Al Roker in the hospital?
Roker revealed on Nov. 18, 2022, that he had recently been admitted to the hospital "with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs."
In a post on Instagram he wrote, "After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon. Have a great weekend, everyone."
In the months since the hospitalization, Roker has shared just how many complicating factors were at play.
"I had two complicating things. I had blood clots that they think came up after I had COVID in September and then I had this internal bleeding going on," he shared. "I lost half my blood. They were trying to figure out where it was. And finally they went in, did this surgery. I had two bleeding ulcers. They had to resection the colon, take out my gal bladder. I went in for one operation, I got four free, so I got that going for me."
Related: Al Roker's Best Grilling Tips
What is Al Roker's illness?
Roker was hospitalized for blood clots in November 2022. He has since recovered.
What is wrong with Al Roker?
The You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success author has been recovering after being hospitalized for blood clots in November 2022. According to Page Six, Roker was taken back to the hospital via ambulance the day after he was first released on Thanksgiving. One witness told the outlet, “Al was taken from his home in a stretcher back to the hospital on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. His condition was worrying, but once back in the hospital, he improved."
As of Jan. 6, 2023, Roker had a clean bill of health and was back on TV, but he took another leave in May 2023 for a knee replacement.
"Thank you all so much for being so concerned about him and so interested in his well-being" Rokers' wife Roberts said in a Sunday, May 21, 2023, video. "As many of you know he had a knee re-replacement, so a knee that had been replaced many many years ago had problems and had to be re-replaced. It makes it slow-going, it makes it a little tougher. It was a harder surgery, so it's a little bit harder to snap back from but he's doing pretty well, moving a little slowly."
Does Al Roker have blood clots?
Roker was first admitted to the hospital in November 2022 with a blood clot in his leg, which he revealed sent "some clots" into his lungs. He has since recovered.
Related: TODAY Staff Surprises Al Roker As He Recovers at Home
Where is Al Roker on TODAY?
Roker was absent from the NBC program due to his health scare in late 2022 and early January 2023. Speaking to his TODAY colleagues about why he hasn't come back to the show just yet, he said: "You lose a certain amount of muscle mass for every week you’re in the hospital, and I was in the hospital for four weeks."
The dad of three added, "It’s just a certain amount of weakness. I’m doing physical therapy every day, occupational therapy. I've got to just get my strength back."
Roker was back on TODAY beginning Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, but was absent for much of May following a knee replacement.
"Al is chomping at the bit to try to get back to work, but the doctor just wants him to take it slowly so that he can continue to heal well," Roberts said on May 21, 2023. "So on Al's behalf and our family's behalf thank you so much and I'm sure he'll be popping up soon ... He's trying to obey the doctor's orders so that he can get back to work and to play as soon as possible, so just wanted to give you a little update on him."
Where has Al Roker been?
Roker was recovering at home from a knee replacement that he underwent in early May 2023. In a May 15 virtual appearance on TODAY, Roker told his colleagues, "This [knee replacement] is a little more complicated because it's what they call a revision—it was a replacement of a replacement, so they had to take stuff out, put stuff in, so it was a bit of a bear. So we've just been kind of hanging out. Chilling out, not doing anything—which I know, a lot of people find hard to believe, but in fact, that is the case."
From November 2022 to January 2023, Roker was recovering from blood clots at home. On Dec. 8, 2022, the weatherman announced that he was back at home following his second hospital stint.
"Home! So incredibly grateful to family, friends, medical folks, @todayshow family and all your thoughts and prayers," he wrote on Instagram.
Is Al Roker sick?
Roker is fully recovered after being hospitalized for blood clots in November 2022. In May 2023, he underwent a successful knee replacement surgery.
In 2020, Roker revealed that he was battling prostate cancer and underwent surgery to have his prostate removed.
Is there an update on Al Roker?
Roberts revealed on May 21, 2023, that Roker's knee replacement surgery recovery went well, but slowly, explaining that he was icing and elevating his knee and taking it easy, then would undergo several months of physical therapy.
What type of knee replacement did Al Roker have?
In May 2023, Roker underwent surgery to replace "a replacement" left knee. This is called a "knee revision" surgery. Because most knee replacements last 20 years, his revision wasn't a surprise, having had his first knee replacement in his 40s.
How is Al Roker doing after knee replacement?
Roker is totally better and back at work!
Who operated on Al Roker's knee?
David J. Mayman, MD, hip and knee surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, performed Roker's knee revision surgery in 2023.
How many knee surgeries did Al Roker have?
Roker has had three knee surgeries so far. He had a right knee replacement, a left knee replacement and a revision knee surgery for his left knee.
Al Roker says to throw away your 5-year plan in new book You Look So Much Better in Person
The popular TV weatherman also opens up about all the stars he's bumped into over the year's at NBC's famed commissary.
By Rosy Cordero Published on July 29, 2020
Al Roker
PHOTO: NATHAN CONGLETON/NBCU PHOTO BANK/NBCUNIVERSAL VIA GETTY IMAGES
If you have a five-year plan for your life right now, Al Roker says throw it away immediately in his new book You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success.
The famous Today show weatherman spoke to EW and expanded on some of the life lessons he's learned throughout his 40-year career, as well as a few fascinating tales from his experience working at NBC's famed 30 Rock, where bumping into Billy Crystal, Dana Carvey, and Tom Brokaw was just a typical day at the office.
Al Roker
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: In your book, you're asking people with 5-year plans to rip them up! Why?
AL ROKER: There was no pandemic when I was writing this book. And if there's one takeaway that I want people — especially younger folks — to have from this pandemic is that sometimes plans have to be thrown out the window. We need to be more agile. I tell my kids all the time to be ready to grab opportunities and to accept that you are going to fail from time to time. It's only through a series of failures that we learn, then tweak, and then comes success which is much sweeter because you had to work for it. It's all about being open to opportunities, because sometimes as you are looking down at your plans a great opportunity could be passing you by.
You've seen a lot of people who work and have worked at NBC during your tenure come through the famed commissary. Who did you see and what were they doing?
Today we have a brand new, state-of-the-art commissary that is absolutely gorgeous. The old commissary was on the seventh floor that had baby poop yellow-colored walls with crappy linoleum tables and none of that mattered. You could see just about anyone there. I saw Tom Brokaw getting lunch there, and folks from Saturday Night Live like Dana Carvey and Jon Lovett working on scripts. I remember seeing Billy Crystal there and he'd say, "Hey, Al!" I remember the first time he did that thinking, "Oh my God. That's Billy Crystal and he knows who I am." Being in that commissary was where I realized that I was at NBC. I am working at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. A kid from Queens — I am here.
Even somebody like Johnny Carson used to joke about the NBC commissary. He would say it's the only place you can still eat dirt... cheap. And while we're away during the pandemic, it's one of the things I miss the most. There's just something really special about that building — this Art Deco temple — where we broadcast out of. Even the floors are a work of art. I never get tired of walking in there.
Al Roker
BARBARA ALPER/GETTY IMAGES
You often reflect on young Al Roker throughout the book. What would he think of you today?
I think he would be really surprised! If he had known then what he knows now, he would've asked a few more people out for dates instead of staying in the basement making cartoons. It's one of those things where you don't know where you're going to go and any one decision can change the course of your life. That's why I like the power of yes, which is the idea that if someone offers you something to do, if it's not illegal, try it out! You never know where it's going to lead. I had no plans to be on TV, but my department chairman at school thought I could do weekend weather at the local television station in Syracuse, N.Y. If I had said no, I don't know where I'd be today.
You Look So Much Better in Person is available to purchase now.
'You’ve got to find a team': Al Roker shares career, life lessons in inspiring new book
Morgan Hines
USA TODAY
'You Look So Much Better In Person' by Al Roker
"Life is about something much bigger than a plan," Al Roker writes in the introduction of his latest book, "You Look So Much Better in Person," which hit shelves Tuesday.
And no one knows that better than Roker himself. The weather and feature anchor of "Today" and co-host of the 3rd Hour of the "Today" show operates without a strict plan, leaving himself open to opportunity –a move that has resulted in some of his fondest memories and greatest feats. In his new book, Roker offers nuggets of advice dubbed "Altruisms," alongside shared narratives from Roker's career.
"I have been forecasting the weather for forty years and I can't necessarily predict tomorrow's weather with 100% accuracy," he writes in the introduction. "How the hell will I know what I'll be doing in five years?"
Plans, Roker points out, are rigid, can go awry and don't leave room for fun, exploration or adventure. In fact, he suggests that if you have a five-year plan, you should take a "match" to it.
"You Look So Much Better in Person" came into existence the same way many of Roker's accolades have: He said yes to something unplanned. After speaking at a National Association of Black Journalists conference, his publisher approached him and asked whether he would be interested in writing a book with tidbits about his career and lessons learned. Eventually, he warmed to the idea.
Check out: USA TODAY's weekly Best-selling Booklist
"If nothing else, it’d be nice to have a collection of stories about my career before I really hit old age, because I'm forgetting more and more," he tells USA TODAY.
But the result is more than a gathering of memories: The book serves as guidance for people at different points on their own career paths. The "Altruisms" provide both a lesson and a smile, and the power of "yes" in addition to the power of "no" is evident throughout.
"I think the two most powerful words, no matter what language, are 'yes' and 'no,' in whatever your language’s equivalent is," Roker says."'Yes' gives you the opportunity, especially in your profession, to do things you might not have planned."
Roker uses his own career path as an example. He never had a desire to become a weatherman and didn't relish the idea of being on television.
"I literally had no interest in being on television," he says. “When I looked in the mirror when I was a sophomore in college, and staring back at me was a chunky, balding, glasses-wearing Black kid, I didn't look back ... and go, 'Hey, you should be on TV, you're that good looking."
But he gave it a shot and it certainly panned out. Other moments of triumph emerged in the same way, including when he made his Broadway debut in "Waitress," something else he never expected to do.
"On the other hand, the power of 'no' is that if you say 'no' to the things that are not important to you, it gives you more time to say 'yes': yes to your family, yes to your friends, yes to the things you what to do at work," Roker explains. "I want people to come away with the power of those two words."
But considering each opportunity, even those you wouldn't normally think of is worth it.
One Altruism that is particularly salient is the focus of the book's final chapter: "Build Your Own A-Team."
No one gets through life alone and no one becomes successful alone. Roker certainly hasn't, he notes, pointing out the many moments in which his loved ones, colleagues and mentors supported him.
"I think you’ve got to find a team," Roker says. "You’ve got to find a group of people that will help you, whether [they are] friends, family, coworkers – those are the people who are going to help you achieve your greatest achievements."
Roker, Al MURDER ON DEMAND Blackstone (Fiction None) $27.99 4, 23 ISBN: 9798200923243
Even off the air, celebrity chef Billy Blessing finds his way to A-list adventure.
After scandal ended Billy's spot on Wake Up, America!, a network morning show, and his restaurant burned down, the chef decamps to the decidedly untrendy North Fork of Long Island to start over. His new place, NoFo Eats, serves classic French dishes, but the clientele is a far cry from the sophisticates Billy entertained before. So when a young woman in a sleek tailored suit turns up at the bar drinking Uncle Nearest 1856, he knows that something must be up. Lisa Cowles admits she's traveled from Manhattan for more than Billy's steak au poivre. She wants the chef, who's got a nose for murder, to investigate the disappearance of her father, fisherman Jack Landry. Landry left Cioffi's Marina in his little boat several weeks ago headed for Gardiners Island. The sea got rough, and he never returned. Though she spent precious little time with her absentee dad, Lisa still wants to know what happened, and she's willing to pay handsomely for the information. Since NoFo's closed for the next week, Billy agrees, and a little poking around with Northold police chief Lola Bristow persuades him there's something hinky about Landry's disappearance. Before his investigation gets going, though, his former boss Gretchen Di Voss calls him with big news: streaming service Worldwide wants to launch a cooking show with Billy "front and center." Worldwide couldn't care less about the scandal that turned the network against Billy, and they want him back in New York immediately. Weighing Cowles' hefty retainer against Worldwide's bonanza and quiet, predictable Northold against the glitzy Big Apple is only the start of a dilemma inside a puzzle inside an enigma that the adventurous Billy faces.
Fame is fleeting, but murder's always exciting in Roker's latest romp.
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"Roker, Al: MURDER ON DEMAND." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Mar. 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A784238507/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=071dcb76. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.
You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success
Al Roker. Hachette, $28 (256p) ISBN 978-0316-42679-4
Today cohost Roker (Ruthless Tide) recalls his 40-year broadcasting career in a sweet memoir sprinkled with homespun advice. A Queens native, Roker talks excitedly about working as a weekend weatherperson in Syracuse, N.Y., in the 1970s while still attending college; taking a job in Washington, D.C., then in Cleveland, where he had his first weekday gig in a major market; and returning to New York City to work first at WNBC, the local news channel, then at the Today show. A self-described nerd who has a staffed animal collection in his office, Roker specializes in light on-air banter, and the book's tone mirrors his TV personality. He's most amusing when he shares goofy career mishaps, like the time he wore contact lenses instead of eyeglasses during a broadcast and blinked so much that concerned viewers started calling in, or the one and only time he slept through his alarm and was almost late for his Today segment (the incident made the news the next day). Throughout, Roker shares innocuous bits of advice (always work hard, he stresses) and encouragement ("It doesn't matter that you're not the star; it matters that you're part of the constellation"). This sunny, pleasant book is perfect for Roker fans or anyone in need of a quick pick me up. July)
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"You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 20, 18 May 2020, p. 52. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A625410875/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0e89fd70. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.
You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success. By Al Roker. June 2020. 256p. Hachette, $28 (9780316426794); e-book (9780316426787). 153.
Popular weatherman and author Roker (Ruthless Tide, 2018) doesn't believe in long-range forecasts for either the weather or life. In this entertaining combination of memoir and self-help, Roker shares lessons he's learned as he made his way up from small-market TV stations to New York and I he Today Show. He credits his "non-plan" approach of working hard, being patient, focusing on what really matters, getting good at what he does, and working with a talented team for his success. In each chapter, Roker uses an epigrammatic tide--"Keep Your Day Job," "Get Up an Hour Before You Need To," "Don't Freak Out"--as a hook to recall events in his professional and personal life, including auditions, coping with challenging people, and appearing on Broadway. Roker writes like he talks. He's funny, self-effacing, and thoughtful. His advice is the kind most moms would give: treat other people well; do your job to the best of your ability; appreciate your coworkers; and remember what's really important in life. Advice the world always needs to hear. Roker's popularity will make this an easy recommendation. --Candace Smith
YA: There's a lot here that will resonate with teens if you can get them to pick it up. CS.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Smith, Candace. "You Look So Much Better in Person: True Stories of Absurdity and Success." Booklist, vol. 116, no. 17, 1 May 2020, p. 6. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A623790478/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=09e28bb4. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.
Roker, Al YOU LOOK SO MUCH BETTER IN PERSON Hachette Go (NonFiction None) $28.00 7, 28 ISBN: 978-0-316-42679-4
Sage advice from the much-loved TV weatherman.
Sharing a host of lively anecdotes, Roker, longtime weather forecaster on NBC’s Today show, reflects on what he’s learned from his undeniably successful career. Each chapter offers what he calls an “Altruism”—e.g., “If You’re Gonna Cry Know How To Cry,” or “You Don’t Need To Be the Top Banana.” The author recounts the highlights of his working life from his beginnings in upstate New York. A self-described “AV Club dork” in high school, he took his first professional gig at a local station in Syracuse. After two years, he was recruited to Washington, D.C., where veteran weatherman Willard Scott took him under his wing; when he was offered a job at an NBC affiliate in Cleveland, he jumped at the chance. Although Cleveland had a history of racial strife, Roker says he never experienced racism at work until one colleague made an offhand racist remark. “I chose to defend myself with humor,” Roker writes, an example of his overall attitude to “roll with the punches” and learn to deal with different personality types. Sometimes, he thinks, it’s better to let things go than to make a fuss. In any case, “when it comes to my challenges,” he admits, “weight trumped race.” Roker counsels readers to keep themselves open to new experiences: “Keep life interesting—explore ALL your talents and then some.” His inclination to say yes to opportunities brought him to Manhattan for what should have been a part-time job at NBC; but when Today’s weatherman left, Roker took the helm: “Move in the direction the wind takes you.” Among his many joys are early rising (time alone is a great gift) and his marriage to the gregarious Deborah Roberts, a TV journalist at ABC.
Ebullient revelations of a contented life.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Roker, Al: YOU LOOK SO MUCH BETTER IN PERSON." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A622503206/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3fad359a. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.
RUTHLESS TIDE
By Al Roker
Morrow $28.99, 320 pages ISBN 9780062445513 Audio, eBook available
Al Roker, co-host and weather anchor of NBC's "Today," vividly re-creates the tragedy of the Johnstown Flood in Ruthless Tide. In what he calls an "unnatural disaster," 20 million tons of water hurtled past a failing dam and into a Pennsylvania valley on the afternoon of May 31, 1889, tossing animals and trees, crushing houses and killing 2,209 men, women and children. By supplying plenty of detail, Roker brings the reader so deeply into the moment (it took about 10 seconds for most of Johnstown to be utterly destroyed) that you can almost hear the water's roar and feel the thundering crashes as rooftops and locomotives banged into buildings ripped from their foundations.
Roker makes it clear that this disaster was created by humans. A frequent recreational retreat for wealthy members, the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club in Pennsylvania resisted any local concerns about the club's dam, which was built to create a private lake. Stocking the lake with premium fish was more important than relieving water flow. Landscapes were deforested in the name of industry, but without trees, the hillsides had no resistance against flooding. Worries were ignored, warnings went unheeded, and bad decisions trumped the advice of those who knew better.
Today, one may think we are environmentally aware enough to ensure that such a catastrophe could never happen again. But one must ask if any lessons have been learned. Consider, for example, the levees and Hurricane Katrina--and remember the Johnstown Flood.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 BookPage
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Akipp, Priscill. "RUTHLESS TIDE." BookPage, June 2018, p. 24. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A540052017/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=063a1087. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.
Roker, Al RUTHLESS TIDE Morrow/HarperCollins (Adult Nonfiction) $28.99 5, 22 ISBN: 978-0-06-244551-3
The ebullient weather personality from NBC's Today show returns with a flood account that is both intimate and alert to the wealth and class distinctions highlighted by the 1889 Johnstown Flood.
Roker, who wrote about a 1900 hurricane (The Storm of the Century, 2015, etc.), has some sizable footsteps to follow in this one--David McCullough's 1968 The Johnstown Flood--but he fills them nicely in this fresh account of the Pennsylvania dam break that destroyed Johnstown and killed more than 2,000 people. Roker is especially adept at focusing on key individuals--residents, politicians, movers and shakers, rescue workers--and letting their stories represent the myriads of others. One harrowing tale involves the improbable rescue of a little girl in the swirling torrent that struck the town during a heavy rain when a dam, 14 miles away (and above the town), broke and sent millions of tons of water surging down into Johnstown and some small communities that lay in the torrent's path. The author is also very alert to the class issues that underlay it all. The earthen dam formed a lake for some very wealthy citizens (among them, Andrew Carnegie), who, of course, denied responsibility afterward. Roker notes that only 35 of the 60 members of this wealthy-person's club contributed to the relief fund. The author also goes into detail--sometimes too much--about some of the individuals involved: Carnegie, Clara Barton (whose Red Cross would swell in public awareness afterward), and numerous others. He points out some inconsistencies in American thought, as well--about how, for instance, we are quick to help people suffering in a natural disaster but not suffering from everyday poverty and disease. He also discusses some of the nasty anti-immigrant feelings that emerged during the cleanup.
An exciting, tragic story seasoned with sensitive social analysis and criticism.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Roker, Al: RUTHLESS TIDE." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Apr. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A532700390/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c2c798dc. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.
Ruthless Tide: The Tragic Epic of the Johnstown Flood
Al Roker. Morrow, $28.99 (320p) ISBN 978-006-244551-3
TV meteorologist Roker (The Storm of the Century) revisits the Johnstown Flood, the 19th-century disaster that destroyed a Pennsylvania town, killed thousands, and raised questions of privilege and liability that still resonate. In the Allegheny Mountains, a poorly engineered dam holding back a lake created for an exclusive summer resort gave way on May 31, 1889, sending 20 million tons of debris-choked water hurtling into the town. Roker, with a weatherman's eye, describes the formation of the unprecedented rainstorms that led to the flooding and the "monster unchained" that was the flood itself. He also tells the stories of locals--including Gertrude Quinn, a child who rode out the catastrophe on a floating mattress, and Victor Heiser, a teenager who helped try to save others from post-flooding fires--and connects the incident to larger questions: "Sometimes," he writes, "people do things to change the natural situation in ways that, regardless of intention, create human responsibility." The wealthy members of the resort (among them Andrew Carnegie) didn't mean to hurt anyone, but caused the destruction through negligence, for which they were not held legally accountable. Roker's story is both a good yarn and a morality tale about how the powerful can avoid blame for problems caused by their privilege. (May)
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"Ruthless Tide: The Tragic Epic of the Johnstown Flood." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 13, 26 Mar. 2018, p. 109. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A532997194/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=516f6907. Accessed 6 Apr. 2024.