Current:Home > reviewsToday’s Al Roker Shares Moving Message on Health Journey Amid Birthday Milestone -Wealth Evolution Experts
Today’s Al Roker Shares Moving Message on Health Journey Amid Birthday Milestone
View
Date:2025-04-14 21:39:33
Al Roker has a lot to celebrate in his neck of the woods.
The Today weatherman of nearly three decades had an extra special 70th birthday week, with help from his fellow hosts, Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie, Craig Melvin and Sheinelle Jones. And as he kicked off a new year with delicious barbecue from his favorite chefs, celebrity cameos and a variety of iconic fedoras, Al shared a moving message about what he has learned from his health journey over the past few years.
“When you have a health issue, whether it's you or a loved one, you realize you can't take anything for granted,” Al, who was hospitalized multiple times in 2022, said in an exclusive interview with E! News. “So it does focus you—kind of a laser focus on your health and your family's health and everybody around you—but you appreciate every day a little bit more.”
And while he has become a bit more health conscious, his well-known love for barbecue and pie never wavered.
“I don't trust people who don't eat pie,” he joked. “But that said, I modified things a little bit. It's everything in moderation.”
To kick off his birthday week, Al’s wife of 28 years, Deborah Roberts, brought all three of his children—Courtney, Leila and Nick—together to throw him a surprise party complete with a performance from his favorite band, Earth, Wind & Fire.
“It was really epic. Unbelievably epic. Everybody that I wanted with me was there,” Al shared, reflecting on just how much he cherished having his kids reunite for the celebration. “When you see them come back together as adults, it's like they really appreciate each other.”
But the celebrations didn’t end after the party. During a full morning dedicated to the birthday boy on Today, Mayor Eric Adams presented Al with a very special gift—a key to the city—which was a full circle moment since Al’s father was a bus driver for the city.
“I grew up here,” Al added. “My whole thing was to get back to New York, not because it was New York City, but because it was my hometown, so that my mother could turn on the TV and see me. Because we always do stuff at the end of the day to impress our parents.”
And Al’s co-hosts of the 3rd Hour of Today, Craig and Sheinelle, couldn’t help but gush about their favorite memories with him over the years. After all, Al considers them the “Avengers of morning TV.”
“People rave about the kind of guy he is on TV and his longevity, and he's helped build this place, but it's the guy you don't see who's really just a living, breathing example,” Craig told E!. “And not the broadcaster you want to be, just the kind of man you want to be, the kind of father, the kind of husband. It's a sight to behold. I don't know how he does it.”
As for Craig, he is preparing to host his third annual Bottoms Up Invitational, beginning on September 15, to honor his brother, Lawrence Meadows and to benefit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
“We did a lot when he was alive to get more folks screened, to raise money for research, to encourage folks to just talk to their doctors and talk to their families about their family history,” he explained, “so we started that while he was alive. When it became apparent that he was not going to survive, he wanted to make sure that I continue to work within my alliance and really make this one of my life's callings.”
The event will feature a Sunday concert followed by some, in the words of Craig, “mediocre golf the following Monday morning.”
“It's just not a sexy cancer,” he continued. “And so one of the things that we've also worked to do is demystify it and really encourage conversations surrounding it.”
veryGood! (93721)
Related
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Help wanted: Bills offer fans $20 an hour to shovel snow ahead of playoff game vs. Steelers
- The US struggles to sway Israel on its treatment of Palestinians. Why Netanyahu is unlikely to yield
- Seal poses in rare appearance with 4 kids on 'Book of Clarence' red carpet: See the photo
- Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time
- More drone deliveries, new AI tech: Here's a guide to what Walmart unveiled at CES 2024
- Spain forward Jenni Hermoso says former coach Jorge Vilda made players feel uncomfortable
- Former LA County sheriff’s deputy pleads no contest to lesser charges in fatal on-duty shooting
- Bodycam footage shows high
- Kashmir residents suffer through a dry winter waiting for snow. Experts point to climate change
Ranking
- Nearly 400 USAID contract employees laid off in wake of Trump's 'stop work' order
- Colin Kaepernick on Jim Harbaugh: He's the coach to call to compete for NFL championship
- Democratic lawmakers in New Mexico take aim at gun violence, panhandling, retail crime and hazing
- Man dies, brother survives after both fall into freezing pond while ice fishing in New York
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Rescue kitten purrs as orphaned baby monkey snuggles up with her at animal sanctuary
- Mike Tomlin pushing once-shaky Steelers to playoffs is coach's best performance yet
- Kashmir residents suffer through a dry winter waiting for snow. Experts point to climate change
Recommendation
Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
Man dies, brother survives after both fall into freezing pond while ice fishing in New York
Justin Timberlake announces free surprise concert in Memphis: 'Going home'
War in Gaza, election factor into some of the many events planned for MLK holiday
Meet the volunteers risking their lives to deliver Christmas gifts to children in Haiti
Alabama is close to hiring Kalen DeBoer from Washington to replace Nick Saban, AP source says
Federal jury finds Puerto Rico ex-legislator Charbonier guilty on corruption charges
Is Jay-Z's new song about Beyoncé? 'The bed ain't a bed without you'