Al Roker was brought to tears when he received a very special surprise visit from the Today show staff while he’s recovering at home following a four-week stint in the hospital.
This week, Today show cast and crew – including co-hosts Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager – gathered on Roker’s doorstep in New York City, where they serenaded the beloved weatherman with Christmas carols.
The surprise visit came just one day after Roker, 68, appeared on Tuesday’s broadcast via video chat, where he gave a health update after his month-long stay at New York-Presbyterian Hospital due to blood clots in his leg and lungs.
Today staffers also received some help from Roker’s wife, Deborah Roberts, who was in on the plan. In the emotional clip, cast and crew – all dressed in Santa hats – lined his doorstep and Guthrie and Kotb rang the doorbell. When Roker opened the door, he was immediately brought to tears as the Today staff sang him “Jingle Bells”.
Roker, who was choking up, managed to crack a joke to his co-workers. “It’s impressive you did that without a prompter,” he said. “I guess we have a new contestant for America’s Got Talent. So you got that going for you.”
However, the TV presenter went on to share a heartfelt thank you to his Today family for surprising him while he’s recovering.
"I just want to thank you all," Roker said after they sang their first song. "It’s been a long, hard slog and I’ve missed you all so very much. Seeing all these faces, it just means the world to me and to our family, and my Deborah, who’s just been my rock. Thank you so much, I really appreciated it."
“We love you so much, Al,” Kotb said. “Every single person couldn’t wait to come out here and sing to you.”
Then, the group sang their own version of a classic Christmas carol, called “Al Be Home for Christmas”.
On Wednesday, Roker shared pictures from the surprise visit to his Instagram. “Words cannot express how much I love my @todayshow family for coming over to do a little caroling including a special rendition of ‘I’ll Be Home For Christmas,’” he captioned the post.
In November, Roker was admitted to the hospital due to an issue with blood clots in his lungs and leg, which forced him to miss the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years. After returning home for Thanksgiving, he was sent to the hospital a second time and missed NBC’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center. On 8 December, he posted a picture to Instagram announcing his return home.
In 2020, Roker announced he had been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer and underwent surgery in November that year. In January 2021, his cancer was “considered undetectable”.
Roker has held a long career with NBC since 1978, and became the Today show’s weather anchor in 1996.
