On November 18, Al Roker — who previously opened up about his hardest health struggle — gave concerned fans an update on why he had been absent from the “Today” show. “Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon.”
Since then, the “Today” show anchor has made occasional appearances on the morning news show as he recovered. “Listen, it’s been a tough slog, I’m not going to deny this,” he said a month after he was admitted to the hospital. “It’s been the hardest one yet, and you know I’ve had my share of surgeries.” He mentioned that he felt lucky to have supportive people by his side and said he was working on getting his strength back after losing some muscle mass. “I’ve got a number of issues, but I feel good, I feel strong, and every day I feel a little bit better,” he added.
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On January 3, the show’s anchors announced that Roker will be returning soon. “He’s obviously been in the hospital and dealt with health issues,” Savannah Guthrie said, adding that following Roker’s at-home recovery over the last few weeks, they had “great news” to share. “Al is coming back to the show.” Hoda Kotb added that Roker’s return is expected to be on January 6.
