Al Roker revealed his health scare last year was more serious than he previously let on.
While appearing on the November 8 episode of the “Your Mama’s Kitchen” podcast, the weatherman shared that he was close to losing his life when he was hospitalized for blood clots last holiday season.
“It’s no secret that I had a severe medical issue, and to be completely honest, I almost died. I didn’t know it at the time,” he confessed. “But I missed Thanksgiving, and almost missed Christmas. And I forgot how important those touchstone moments are.”
The Today star admitted he thought he had “ruined Thanksgiving” for his family and noted that he “was not going to let that happen” for Christmas.
“It was important to me and gave me something to push for. And I made Christmas dinner,” he said referring to the 2022 holiday season.
Though Roker had not shared how serious his illness was, he did previously tell fans about his health struggle on Instagram.
“So many of you have been thoughtfully asking where I’ve been. Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs,” he wrote on November 18, 2022. “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. Have a great weekend, everyone.”
The medical emergency caused him to miss hosting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for the first time in 27 years, however, he was able to return to Today in January.
“My heart is just bursting,” he said on his first day back at the show. “I’m so thrilled to see all of you and the crew and everybody. Right now, I’m running on adrenaline. I’m just thrilled to be here.”
Roker’s wife, ABC News broadcaster Deborah Roberts, was also present on his day back, where she spoke about his condition.
“It’s not lost on us that this is a major, major thing for Al to be here. He is a living, breathing miracle. He really is. I’m not overstating it,” Roberts divulged. “Al was a very, very, very sick man and I don’t think most people know that. He was a medical mystery for weeks. It was the most tumultuous, frightening journey we have ever been on.”
As OK! previously reported, this was sadly not where the medical issues stopped for Roker, as shortly after he received knee surgery.
In May, Roberts discussed her husband’s recovery on Instagram Live.
"Thank you all so much for being so concerned about him and so interested in his well-being," she said. "As many of you, know he had a knee re-replacement, so a knee that had been replaced many many years ago had problems and had to be re-replaced."
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"It makes it slow-going, it makes it a little tougher," she noted. "It was a harder surgery, so it's a little bit harder to snap back from, but he's doing pretty well, moving a little slowly."
