Why Al Roker Is Once Again Missing From 'Today'

Al Roker

Al Roker was noticeably absent from the Today show on Monday, May 6, but it was for a good reason.

The beloved NBC weathercaster had a hectic weekend caring for his adorable pup, Pepper, who needed emergency surgery on Sunday, but that's not the only thing that kept him from his spot at the table.

"Our little girl, Pepper had emergency surgery but is on the mend. She’s getting great care and is coming home tomorrow. Woof," he explained in the caption of his May 5 upload. "You can sleep on our bed as much as you want."

Roker, 69, was also tapped as one of Fisk University's 2024 commencement speakers, as was his longtime wife and ABC journalist Deborah Roberts.

The two even received honorary doctorates from the university in Nashville, posing with the degrees in photos shared to Roker's Instagram page early Monday morning.

"Deborah and I are so honored to receive honorary doctorates and give the #commencementaddress today at the 150th #commencement at @fiskuniversity at the behest of fiskuniversitypresident @arwclark12 and to hang with the Clark family," he captioned the image.

He later shared a few more photos from the prestigious weekend event, stating that he and Roberts enjoyed "a fabulous dinner" at Luogo, one of the city's hottest restaurants serving "coastal Italian cuisine."

Given how far of a trip it is from New York City to Nashville and all the things the honorees had in store for the weekend, it looks like we now also have confirmation of why Roker was missing from Friday's Today broadcast, too.

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