TODAY Al Roker provided a health update following his knee surgery and his wife Deborah Roberts revealed their retirement plans in an exclusive interview with The US Sun.
Al, 69, had major surgery in May 2023 – a total knee replacement that required him to take time off work on the Today show to recover for four weeks.
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His second knee surgery — although postponed due to blood clots in his legs and lungs — took place more than a year after his first surgery in April 2022.
“Everything’s great. Yeah, I feel good,” Al told The US Sun in an exclusive interview at the Harlem School of the Arts’ 60th anniversary gala on May 20.
“I’ve been going out and walking and now the warm weather is coming, so, you know, I mean, we haven’t had real spring, but that’s okay. It’s okay, it’s okay.”
No stranger to running marathons, Al recently ran the 2022 Brooklyn Half Marathon in three hours and 19 minutes.
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However, when asked if he is ready to tackle the 2024 New York City Marathon – something he achieved in 2010 – he quickly backed down.
“That was good. That was it, that was it. I don’t even know why I did that.
“It really was a foolish effort. It wasn’t so much a race as it was a walk, you know, it was almost seven hours, but I enjoyed it,” she commented.
“I had fun. You get to see New York in a different way than you ever have before. So it was fun.”
Al, who recently supported Kelly Clarkson for admitting to using a weight-loss medication, praised anyone in the audience who has been open about their health journey as he has.
“Well, look, I think everyone is on their journey. So whatever you choose to say or do, go with God. I’m happy. No judgement.
“But, you know, I think the more people talk about it, the more it’s less stigmatized,” he shared.
Meanwhile, Al’s colleague Sheinelle Jones, who also attended the HSA Gala, which took place at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City, said she stopped running any more marathons after facing him in 2023.
“I think I’m the kind of girl who does it all by myself. Maybe I’ll do some halves. If I do another one, maybe it’ll be in another country, Tokyo or something like that.
“But officially I can’t even believe I’m saying this, but I think I’m officially a runner,” she joked.
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READY TO RETIRE?
Al was accompanied by his wife Deborah, 63, and his 21-year-old son, Nick Roker, since they were honored at the art school’s gala.
Al will celebrate his 70th birthday on August 20th.
When asked about Deborah’s retirement plans, she called it a “bad word” and implied it’s something they don’t discuss at home.
“We don’t even like that word. We think it’s a bad word. Because you know what? We’re both still having fun.
“We’re still exploring. We’re still discovering. We’re still traveling. We’re doing a lot of what we love.
“So why would we want to say that dirty ‘r’ word?” she revealed to The US Sun while walking the red carpet with her family.
Al’s colleague Sheinelle felt the same way and doesn’t believe her good friend will retire in the near future, despite him being a significant figure on the morning show since January 1996.
“This man is not retiring anytime soon. He still has so much love to give,” she told The US Sun.
‘DIVERSE’ ACCOMMODATION
It also appears that Deborah isn’t ready to relinquish her title as co-anchor of ABC News’ 20/20, which she hosts alongside David Muir.
“It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been more of the same, but a little more concentrated.
“I’ve been on 20/20 for over 20 years and so not much has changed, other than feeling a certain responsibility for the show and feeling a certain humility to take on a role that Barbara Walters held,” she said.
We are still exploring. We’re still figuring it out. We are still traveling. We are doing a lot of what we love. So why would we want to say that dirty ‘r’ word? [retirement]?
Deborah Roberts
“She was a mentor of mine. So it’s been really fun.
“Working with David Muir is a real pleasure and working a little more intensively with my team has been fantastic.”
The primetime news magazine show airs Fridays at 9 pm ET on ABC, while the Today show airs weekdays from 7 am to 11 am ET , on NBC.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
