"I love you more than you’ll ever know," the beloved weatherman told his co-workers as they surprised him with Christmas carols.
Al Roker is feeling the love! The 68-year-old weather anchor was in for a sweet surprise thanks to all the anchors, producers, crew, and security from TODAY. Roker had just spent 4 weeks being treated for blood clots in his legs and lungs. While he’s not quite ready to return to Studio 1A yet, his colleagues decided to surprise him and bring home some holiday cheer. All of them were decked in Santa Claus hats as they snuck into his home. Before that, they were practicing a block away when Rocker and his wife, Deborah Roberts, were just returning from a doctor’s appointment. They were about to drive by the group but Roberts who was in on the plan messaged the group to hightail it to another block.
Once they got home, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb rang the doorbell to see a stunned Al who was clearly moved by the sweet gesture. As they wrapped up a round of Jingle Bells, he said slyly, "It’s impressive you did that without a prompter." Then the weatherman poured his heart out. "I’ve missed you all so, so very much, all these faces," he said. "It just means the world to me and to our family and my Deborah, who’s just been my rock. I thank you so much. I really appreciated it." As the group sang Al Be Home for Christmas he couldn't hold back his emotions. "I love you more than you’ll ever know," he told everyone. "It was one of the most heartwarming moments I think (for) all of us," Savannah said of the beautiful surprise. "Everybody was in tears, and it was just beautiful and so wonderful to see him."
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." Thank you! https://t.co/24G6Pvkj0G
— Al Roker (@alroker) December 14, 2022
The anchor has had a rough time recently battling health issues. "It's been a tough slog, I'm not going to deny this," Roker told Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin, and Dylan Dreyer during a virtual appearance on TODAY. "This has been the hardest one yet — and you know, I've had my fair share of surgeries. But it gives you a profound sense of gratitude for this outpouring of prayers and thanks. I'm a very fortunate person."
"I feel good, I feel strong. And every day, I feel a little bit better," he added. He won't be returning to the show anytime soon, he confessed. "You lose a certain amount of muscle mass for every week you're in the hospital, and I was in the hospital for 4 weeks. So it's just a certain amount of weakness," Roker said, pointing out that he's doing physical and occupational therapy every day. "I've got to just get my strength back. And in the meantime, I was thinking in January of getting my knee replaced, so I've got to push that back. So I've got a number of issues."
References:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aC0I2GIN2o&ab_channel=TODAY
Cover Image Source: YouTube | TODAY
