Al Roker

American weather presenter, television and radio personalityTemplate:SHORTDESC:American weather presenter, television and radio personality[[Category:**Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Pagetype/config' not found.**s with short description]]
Template:Use mdy dates Template:Pp-pc1

* SUNY Oswego (B.A. Communications, 1976)
* Xavier High School
 Occupation | * Journalist for NBC News
* television personality
* weather forecaster
* actor
* Unnamed First Wife (divorced)
* Alice Bell(m. 1984, divorced)
* Deborah Roberts (m. 1995)
* Lenny Kravitz (paternal second cousin)

**Albert Lincoln Roker Jr.** (born August 20, 1954) is an American weather forecaster, journalist, television personality, actor, and author. He is the current weather anchor on NBC's *Today*. Roker also serves as co-host on *3rd Hour Today*, although the latter was not officially announced by NBC News. He has an inactive American Meteorological Society Television Seal #238.

On November 12, 2014, at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Roker attempted to beat the unofficial world record for an uninterrupted live weather report of 33 hours held by Norwegian weather broadcaster Eli Kari Gjengedal. On November 14, 2014, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Roker set the Guinness World Record by reporting for 34 hours.

On the December 14, 2018 episode of *Today*, Roker was honored for 40 years at NBC. The *Today* Plaza was officially named the "Rokerfeller Plaza" in his honor.

## Early life

Al Roker was born in the borough of Queens, New York City, New York, the son of Isabel, of Jamaican descent, and Albert Lincoln Roker Sr., a bus driver of Bahamian descent. Roker initially wanted to be a cartoonist. He was raised Catholic, the faith of his mother, and graduated from Xavier High School in Manhattan. He attended the State University of New York at Oswego where he received a B.A. in communications in 1976.Roker is related to the late actress Roxie Roker, who played Helen Willis on the sitcom *The Jeffersons* and was the mother of rock musician Lenny Kravitz. Al Roker and Kravitz's grandfathers were cousins, which in turn makes Al Roker and Kravitz second cousins, as they share the same great, great grandparents.Template:Dubious

### 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. 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*, 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*. He also substituted on the weekday edition of *Today* 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.

In 2005, Roker reported from inside Hurricane Wilma. A popular viral video shows him swept off his feet by the fierce wind and clinging to the cameraman.

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*.

#### "Roker-thon"

In November 2014, Roker embarked on a "Roker-thon", 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. The record-setting event was a fundraiser for the Crowdrise Campaign to benefit the military and USO. He held a "Roker-thon 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. From March 27 until March 31, 2017, he embarked on "Roker-thon 3", visiting colleges and setting a Guinness World Record at each one, such as the longest conga line on ice and largest human letter.

In the 2013 inauguration, Roker received a handshake from Biden.  As an NBC News reporter at the 2021 inauguration of Joe Biden, Roker received a fist bump from the newly inaugurated president moments before Biden entered the White House.

## Other work

Roker has hosted NBC's coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1995, where he provides commentary along with some of his *Today Show* colleagues.

Roker is a game show fan. From 1996–1997, he hosted a game show on MSNBC called *Remember This?*. He substituted for Meredith Vieira for a week of *Who Wants to Be a Millionaire* shows from March 5–9, 2007.

In 2008, Roker hosted NBC's *Celebrity Family Feud.* 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!* and *Wheel of Fortune*.

Roker has hosted programs on Food Network, namely, *Roker on the Road*, and *Tricked-Out Tailgating*. He is also an avid barbecue enthusiast.

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. 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.

It was announced on September 5, 2018 that Roker will portray Joe in the Broadway musical *Waitress* for a six-week run from October 5 to November 11.

### Author

 File:AlRokerAAFeb09 cropped.jpg  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. *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.

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.

## Personal life

Following an early marriage and divorce, Roker married WNBC producer Alice Bell in December 1984. They later divorced. Roker married fellow journalist Deborah Roberts on September 16, 1995. who has reported for both ABC and NBC.

Roker has three children. He and Bell adopted daughter Courtney as an infant in 1987. With Roberts, Roker is the father of daughter Leila (born November 17, 1998) and son Nicholas (born July 18, 2002).

On November 7, 2010, Roker ran in the ING New York City Marathon.

Roker is an Honorary member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

### Health

 File:Al Roker chats with USNavy sailors in New York City.jpg  On Thursday, June 7, 2001, Roker underwent a total knee arthoplasty (replacement, or "TKA") on his left knee.

In 2002, 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. Roker wrote about his battle with weight loss in *Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight Loss Battle For Good*, published in 2013.

In 2005, he had a back operation. He had another knee replacement surgery in 2016.

In October 2018, Roker underwent emergency carpal tunnel surgery.

In September 2019, he had a hip replacement surgery.

In November 2020, he revealed he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2020. He had a successful operation on November 9, and by November 17 he was at home recovering.

### 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. He also served as the official spokesperson for Amtrak's National Train Day, which took place on May 10, 2008.

### 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"
>
>

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."

#### 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 then 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.

## Signature phrases

* Roker often says "and here's what's happening in your neck of the woods" when transitioning from the national weather broadcast to the local affiliate.
* On many occasions on *Today* he has used the phrase "man candy" to describe attractive males.
* When he mentions Sunday's weather forecast on weekdays, often he repeats the word "Sunday", imitating the drag racing promotional catchphrase.
* During Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ribbon cutting ceremonies, he is joined by the producers of the parade and special guests in kicking off the parade with the countdown "5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Let's have a parade!"

## 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 sketch followed the fruitless pursuit of Mango by a character portrayed by cast member Chris Kattan.
* Roker voiced a caricature of himself as a faustian figure in two episodes of the animated Disney Channel series *The Proud Family*.
* 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!"
* 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.
* 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. 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 Lifetime television movie Morning Show Mysteries: Mortal Mishaps based on the book series he co-authored.
* In 2019, Roker appeared in the Lifetime television movie Morning Show Mysteries: Death by Design based on the book series he co-authored.

## Works

* 2000: *Don't Make Me Stop This Car!* reflections on fatherhood Template:ISBN
* 2013: *Never Goin' Back: Winning the Weight-Loss Battle For Good* Template:ISBN
* 2016: *Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times* co-written with his wife Deborah Roberts. Template:ISBN

**Billy Blessing novels**

* 2009: *The Morning Show Murders*. Co-authored by Dick Lochte. Template:ISBN.
* 2010: *The Midnight Show Murders*. Co-authored by Dick Lochte; nominated for the 2011 Nero Award. Template:ISBN.
* 2011: *The Talk Show Murders*. Co-authored by Dick Lochte. Template:ISBN.

## See also

* Bahamian Americans
* New Yorkers in journalism

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Al Roker Biography: News Anchor, Television Producer, Television Personality (1954–)". Biography.com. http://www.biography.com/articles/Al-Roker-16194661.
2. ↑ "Al Roker – TODAY.com". Today. 2010-06-23. http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/4515729/.
3. ↑ Lee, Brad. "AMS Television Seal Holders" (in en). http://apps.ametsoc.org/pdtstv.cfm.
4. ↑ "Watch #Rokerthon live: Al attempts World Record for longest weather report" Retrieved November 13, 2014
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Al Roker Biography – Yahoo! Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800278099/bio.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Al Roker Biography (1954–)". Filmreference.com. http://www.filmreference.com/film/62/Al-Roker.html.
7. ↑ Al Roker Biography, *The Biography Channel*. Accessed November 18, 2007. "After graduating from Xavier High School in Manhattan, Roker studied communications at State University of New York at Oswego, where he got his first shot at weathercasting."
8. ↑ "Al, Lenny Kravitz discuss being distant cousins", *Today* (September 2, 2011). "Is Al really related to Lenny Kravitz? Yes! Their grandfathers were cousins, Al said on 'Today' this morning."
9. ↑ "Lenny Kravitz gives Arch Digest a look inside his Brazil home". Today. April 18, 2019. https://www.today.com/video/lenny-kravitz-gives-arch-digest-a-look-inside-his-brazil-home-1498332739754.
10. ↑ "Al Roker reunites with distant cousin Lenny Kravitz", Today.com (5 October 2020).
11. ↑ Roker, Al (2014-06-15). "I played AT40 at my college station WOCR 640AM SUNY Oswego 1973-1975" (in en). https://twitter.com/alroker/status/478235558138085376.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Al Roker : Chefs". Food Network. http://www.foodnetwork.com/al-roker/bio/index.html.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Al Roker Blown by Hurricane Wilma". I Am Bored. 2011-05-11. http://www.i-am-bored.com/bored\_link.cfm?link\_id=13668.
14. ↑ "Rokerthon 2 is on! Al Roker hits the road for record-breaking effort". Today. 2015-11-05. http://www.today.com/series/rokerthon/rokerthon-returns-al-roker-goes-world-record-nationwide-weather-reports-t52391.
15. ↑ "Al Roker's 50-state 'Rokerthon 2' begins". New York Daily News. 2015-11-06. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/al-roker-50-state-rokerthon-2-begins-article-1.2425669.
16. ↑ "Al Roker Comes to UT for Rokerthon 3". WBIR. 2017-03-28. http://www.wbir.com/mb/news/local/today-shows-rokerthon-3-coming-to-ut/423939902.
17. ↑ "Al Roker Was Really, Really Stoked About Shaking Hands With Joe Biden" (in en). 2013-01-21. https://www.businessinsider.com/al-roker-biden-obama-inauguration-2013-1.
18. ↑ "Joe Biden fist-bumps Al Roker during inaugural parade" (in en). 2021-01-20. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/joe-biden-al-roker-inaugural-parade-fist-bump-b1790326.html.
19. ↑ Template:IMDb name
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Celebrity Family Feud". http://www.nbc.com/Celebrity\_Family\_Feud/.
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Al Roker to host 'Celebrity Family Feud'". 2008-04-07. https://www.today.com/popculture/al-roker-host-celebrity-family-feud-wbna23991842.
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "Roker on the Road". Food Network. http://www.foodnetwork.com/roker-on-the-road/index.html.
23. ↑ "Al Roker Radio Weather Network". http://www.unitedstations.com/usrnweb/pages/content/alroker/details.asp?format=FmtNewstalksports.  at United Stations Radio Network
24. ↑ "Al Roker headed back to Broadway with singing role in 'Waitress'", *New York Post* (5 September 2018).
25. ↑ Cogdill, Oline, "The 2011 Nero Award Nominees"; *Mystery Scene*, June 15, 2011. Retrieved December 5, 2011
26. ↑ "Morning Show Mysteries: Murder on the Menu - Cast". http://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/morning-show-mysteries-murder-on-the-menu/cast.
27. ↑ McClurg, Jocelyn (January 5, 2016). "Al Roker, Deborah Roberts write about their marriage". *USA Today*. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2016/01/05/al-roker-deborah-roberts-book-been-there-done-that/78276688/.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Template:Cite newspaper
29. ↑ Template:Cite newspaper
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "Deborah Roberts". *ABC News*. 2007-04-28. https://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=126352.
31. ↑ Template:Cite book
32. ↑ Roker in Template:Cite magazine
33. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
34. ↑ "Race Results > Al Roker". New York Road Runners. https://results.nyrr.org/runner/5256628/races.
35. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
36. ↑ "Honorary Members > Albert Roker Jr.". Phi Beta Sigma. http://phibetasigma1914.org/index.php/honorary-members/.
37. ↑ Dwyer, Sheila & Knee1 Staff (July 10, 2001). "Al Roker Returns to "Today"". Knee1.com. http://knee1.com/News/Feature\_Story/Al\_Roker\_Returns\_to\_Today.
38. ↑ "The skinny on Roker's weight loss: Gastric bypass", *USA Today* (November 3, 2002).
39. ↑ Connor, Tracy (November 17, 2002). "Stars put fat-fighting surgery in the spotlight", p. 10.
40. ↑ Template:Cite book
41. ↑ Notjustrich.com admin. "How much is Al Roker Worth?", Not Just Rich.
42. ↑ "Inside Al Roker's road to recovery after knee replacement" (in en). *Today*. October 24, 2016. http://www.today.com/video/inside-al-roker-s-road-to-recovery-after-knee-replacement-792171587721.
43. ↑ Mazziotta, Julie (October 3, 2018). "Al Roker Is 'Feeling Great' After Undergoing Emergency Carpal Tunnel Surgery". https://people.com/health/al-roker-emergency-carpal-tunnel-surgery/.
44. ↑ "Al Roker Has Prostate Cancer, Will Undergo Surgery Next Week" (in en). https://www.tmz.com/2020/11/06/al-roker-reveals-prostate-cancer-undergo-surgery-next-week/.
45. ↑ Vivinetta, Gina (2021-02-08). "Al Roker gives Kelly Clarkson update on prostate cancer diagnosis". NBC Universal. https://www.today.com/health/al-roker-gives-kelly-clarkson-update-prostate-cancer-diagnosis-t208372. "I really feel good. I was very fortunate. We caught it early. It was an aggressive form of prostate cancer, but we caught it very early."
46. ↑ Keegan, Kayla (2020-11-17). "'Today' Show Star Al Roker Has Been Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer". https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/a29105349/where-is-al-roker/. "Al has been taking some time off from the Today show after being diagnosed with prostate cancer."
47. ↑ "Celebrity Friends of RMHC". McDonald's Corporation. http://rmhc.org/friends-of-rmhc/celebrity-friends/.
48. ↑ "Archived copy". http://www.docstoc.com/docs/91663828/AMTRAK-TO-CELEBRATE-NATIONAL-TRAIN-DAY.
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Starr, Michael (June 9, 2007). "Joker Roker: 'Sorry'", *New York Post*.
50. ↑ TMZ Staff (November 23, 2015). "Al Roker – NYC Cab Driver was Racist". TMZ. http://www.tmz.com/2015/11/23/al-roker-racist-cab-driver/.
51. ↑ Lawson, Richard (November 23, 2015). "Al Roker Files Complaint Claiming NYC Taxi Ignored Him in Favor of White Customer". Vanity Fair. http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/11/al-roker-nyc-taxi-complaint.
52. ↑ Kimble, Lindsay (November 23, 2015). "Al Roker Says an N.Y.C. Cab Passed Him to Pick Up a White Man, Files Discrimination Complaint". *People*. https://people.com/celebrity/al-roker-files-complaint-after-new-york-cab-passes-him-for-white-man/.
53. ↑ "Al Roker Shares Life Lessons In New Memoir, 'You Look So Much Better In Person'". 29 July 2020. https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2020/07/29/al-roker-memoir.
54. ↑ Barrett, Liz (October 18, 2006). "Al Roker Sure Loves His "Man Candy"". Columbia Journalism Review. http://www.cjrdaily.org/behind\_the\_news/al\_roker\_sure\_loves\_his\_man\_ca.php.
55. ↑ "Why Al Roker says 'Sunday! Sunday!' when giving his weather report" (in en), *Business Insider* (January 11, 2016).
56. ↑ "Entire 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade". November 24, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUn-gy1xjuk.
57. ↑ "Al gets 'first interview' with President Barack Obama". *Al Roker blog on MSNBC.com*. January 20, 2009. http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/01/20/1753506.aspx.
58. ↑ "Al Roker Trivia and Quotes on". Tv.com. http://www.tv.com/al-roker/person/26368/trivia.html?tag=blackout#. Template:Dead link
59. ↑ "We salute you Al! Roker gets 'Honorary Commodore' award", *NBC News* (May 19, 2014).
60. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
61. ↑ "The Blacklist Is Bringing In Al Roker As A Guest Star, But How?". 2020-04-30. https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2495428/the-blacklist-is-bringing-in-al-roker-as-a-guest-star-but-how.

## External links

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* Template:Official website
* Template:IMDb name
* Template:Emmytvlegends name
* *Al Roker Investigates* at CourtTV.com
* Roker's NBC biography
* Al Roker at Foodnetwork.com
* "Al Roker chats with Mad Dog & Billie on Toronto's MIX FM". http://www.999mixfm.com/audio\_video\_mdb.
* Roker's Favorite Books
* Al's Book Club for Kids
* Template:C-SPAN

Template:NBC Meteorologists Template:NBC News Personalities

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