At 71, Al Roker is marking three decades on the Today show and has no plans to retire anytime soon. In a candid chat with People, the beloved weatherman gushed about his passion for the job. He's feeling fortunate and ready to keep the forecast coming.
Oh, darlings, spill the tea on Al Roker because this icon is not hanging up his weather map just yet! 🎉 The 71-year-old Today show staple, who joined the morning madness back in 1996, is gearing up to celebrate 30 years on air. Speaking to People ahead of the big milestone, Al dished, “I love what I do. I feel good. I love this job. I love doing it. At some point I guess I won’t be, but I don’t feel like that’s anytime soon, so I’m just gonna keep going.”
He's been through the wringer health-wise—blood clots in late 2022 that sidelined him from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years, knee replacement surgery in May 2023, prostate cancer battle in 2020, and a slew of other procedures from gastric bypass to hip replacements. But Al's bounced back stronger, crediting prayers, physical therapy, and even a new granddaughter for keeping his spirits sky-high. His wife, Deborah Roberts, called him a “living, breathing miracle” during his January 2023 return to the studio.
Reflecting on his journey, Al recalled a pinch-me moment about 10 years ago: a whirlwind 24-hour interview spree in California with legends Don Rickles, Betty White, Carl Reiner, and Dick Van Dyke. “And it was like, wow, I’m a kid from Queens out doing this,” he marveled. As for his legacy? Al wants viewers to feel, “People, when they watch, that they didn’t feel like I wasted their time. And that hopefully they felt better after watching than before.”
In a January 2026 People interview, he hinted that while he's all in, “somebody at NBC” might call the shots on his exit. But for now, Al's serving sunshine from the Today plaza. So, will NBC let this Queens kid forecast forever, or is retirement lurking like a surprise storm? 👀
