'TODAY' show's Al Roker returns to hospital after treatment for blood clots
“TODAY” show weatherman and anchor Al Roker has been readmitted to the hospital after revealing last month that he was treated for blood clots.
Co-host Hoda Kotb said Roker was back in the hospital “due to some complications,” telling viewers of the NBC show Thursday that he was in “very good care.”
“He’s resting and his doctors are keeping a close eye on him. Al and his family want everybody to know how grateful they are for all the love, the support and the well wishes,” she said.
Roker was unable to attend the lighting of the Rockefeller Center tree Wednesday.
“It was wonderful hosting the celebration, but, of course, we all wished that Al could’ve been with us,” Kotb said.
She added that she and co-host Craig Melvin recently spoke to Roker over FaceTime and he gave them a “big thumbs-up.”
Roker’s daughter, Leila, posted a selfie on her Instagram story Wednesday, writing: “thank you to all the wonderful friends and family who have reached out. We really appreciate it.”
On Nov. 18, Roker, 68, revealed on Instagram that he was admitted to the hospital the previous week "with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs."
"After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery. Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon," he wrote at the time.
Fellow “TODAY” show anchors commented on his post, wishing him well.
“Al Roker-- hurry back to us... counting the days xoxoxo,” Kotb wrote.
“You’re the strongest person we know. We miss you and will see you soon!!” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie said, adding a heart emoji at the end of her reply.
On Thanksgiving Day, he posted that he was heading back home in time for Thanksgiving dinner and watched his peers host the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV — marking the first time he wasn't hosting the spectacle in more than a quarter of a century.
“For the past 27 parades, at this moment, Savannah, we would turn to Al Roker, who’s our 'TODAY' show colleague and our best pal, but as a lot of you have heard, Al’s recovering and he’s recovering very well from a recent medical issue,” Kotb said during the parade.
“We love you, Al. We’ll see you next year,” Guthrie added.
Roker revealed in 2020 that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent surgery.
He explained at the time that he wanted to publicly reveal his diagnosis to highlight that 1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. For Black men, the rate is 1 in 7.
Roker took some time off following the diagnosis and returned to the “TODAY” show with a clean bill of health.
“It was this great relief,” he told “TODAY” viewers at the time.
