Happy Al-iversary.
Al Roker celebrated his 30th anniversary as the weatherman on “Today” with an epic celebration on the morning show Tuesday, complete with surprise guests and special tributes.
During an interview with People, Roker, 71, revealed if he’s ready to retire from the NBC program.
“Well, let’s put it this way. I haven’t thought about retirement,” he told the outlet. “Somebody at NBC, that might be a different story.”
“I love what I do,” the meteorologist continued. “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.”
Roker, who replaced the late Willard Scott on “Today” in 1996, spoke about the impact of the show which has been on the air since 1952.
“I think that’s the beauty of the broadcast is that the mission over these 74 years has not changed,” he said. “The way we bring it to you may have, and look, the fact of the matter is we are each temporary custodians of this legacy … at some point I won’t be part of the show, somebody else will be, but to be part of a pretty cool club is very special.”
“To say that this was a dream job isn’t really accurate because it never dawned on me that I could be on the ‘Today’ show,” Roker added.
The beloved weatherman also shared what he wants his legacy to be once he eventually leaves the program.
“People, when they watch, that they didn’t feel like I wasted their time,” Roker stated. “And that hopefully they felt better after watching than before.”
Roker received a much-deserved celebration for his three decades on the show on Tuesday morning.
The Al-iversary event kicked off with touching tributes from his co-hosts. Craig Melvin called Roker a “global ambassador” for the program, Carson Daly said he is the show’s “constant,” and Savannah Guthrie told Roker he’s always been “front and center” for the show.
Other meteorologists came on the show to honor Roker including Tevin Wooten from NBC Boston, who told Roker his career “transcends beyond what we see on the couch.”
“As a person of color, to do what you do at such a high level, it is an honor to see you every single morning … and to actually receive the toss from you after you say, ‘what’s happening in our neck of the woods,’” Wooten said.
During the third hour, the show held the Al-wards Ceremony which recognized Roker’s best recipe and best physical feat. The winners were Al’s Sweet Potato Poon and Al-In-Action (where he did stunts on the ground with Clive Standen).
For the third category, the “That’s So Al Award,” the winner was Roker’s antics over the years.
