Al Roker Has Had A Wild Transformation

Since the start of his professional career, Al Roker has been a bright light on all of our television screens. Whether it be on niche news programs or decade-long stints on NBC's "Today," it's hard to imagine morning broadcasts without his jovial quips, along with his knowledgeable weather reports. With this, Roker completely transcended the world of broadcasting and became a cultural icon.

His notoriety wouldn't come overnight, however, as Roker has a longstanding history in the industry. This couldn't have been more apparent in his 30th-anniversary tribute on "Today" in January 2026, where Roker noted that his career in TV has exceeded his imagination. His broadcasting gig wasn't his only benchmark for success; he's also been able to transition into fatherhood and maintain a healthy marriage, all while chasing personal creative pursuits in film and animation. 

Although Roker's life story wouldn't be complete without its tragedies, the 71-year-old has consistently overcome them, helping him sustain an inspiring career that spanned decades. From his brief setbacks to incredible triumphs, both in his personal life and professional career, here's the wild transformation Roker has undergone over the years!

Born on August 20, 1954, Roker grew up in a working-class family in St. Albans, located in southeastern Queens, New York. With his father, Albert Roker Sr., working as a NYC bus driver to provide for his family, and his mother, Isabel Roker, prioritizing the family's life at home, Roker was blessed to have had a household conducive to his youthful development. It also came complete with five younger siblings, whom Roker admittedly enjoyed bossing around from time to time.

During his appearance on "Post Run High" in 2025, Roker told Kate Mackz that he never came from a broken home. As a growing child, he led a normal life in Queens, with his education and close-knit familial bonds being at the forefront, alongside his love for cartoons. "It was a very typical, small-town existence in a sense, in that I went to school, I took the school bus. Difference was, my school bus was a New York City bus. We had bus passes ... went to school. We'd come home. Sometimes we'd walk home if it was a nice day; it was about a mile home. Did my homework. Walked our dog, Happy, while Mom's making dinner," he explained. "You know, it was a pretty normal childhood."

For most children, their first outlook on a potential career isn't usually where they end up. This was the case for Roker, whose early passion for cartoons led him to fantasize about being a cartoonist. It may come as a shock, given how natural Roker is at broadcasting, but appearing on television wasn't on his radar as a child. Luckily, it became his passion, but only after his family was apprehensive about a career in animation.

During his 2025 appearance on "Post Run High," he and Mackz bonded over their shared interest in pursuing creative arts. Sadly, Roker's initial interest in the medium was short-lived due to his parents' insistence on choosing a different career path, as they presumed animation unlucrative.

"I wanted to go to New York City High School of Art and do Graphic Art and Design, and my parents — especially my father — said, 'No, you are not going to high school to draw cartoons. That's not a thing,'" he recalled. "And I'm thinking, 'Yeah, it is.'" Of course, things are different now; a career in animation could have been rewarding for the young creative. Despite Roker still being a fan of animation, he seems grateful to have pursued another interest years later.

With Roker's early aspirations to be a cartoonist being shut down by his parents, he was left with a mountain of opportunities for other career paths. It wouldn't be until he got to college, however, that it all panned out for the future broadcaster. After graduating from high school, Roker attended the State University of New York at Oswego, majoring in communications and finding an apparent interest in meteorology. It was here that Roker got broadcasting experience he'd later use to catapult him into television.

According to Roker, it was a professor who helped jumpstart his career. During his 2009 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," Roker explained that once he had finished his second year in college, his department chairman informed him about a job doing weekend weather for WTVH-TV (formerly WHEN-TV) in Syracuse, New York. He owed his professor thanks for doing so, as being a weatherman "wouldn't have been on [his] radar" if it hadn't been for him.

Roker had no experience as a weatherman, so he leaned on his natural charisma to get by on his $10-a-newscast salary. Despite this, however, it helped him get his foot in the door for later broadcasting jobs. "I was thinking, 'I'm going to do this until I can get a real job directing or doing something like that," he recalled.

Roker's budding career as a weatherman at the newscast station in Syracuse prompted his leap into the field. It wasn't a sustainable gig to lead a comfortable lifestyle. Fortunately, it was enough to land him other jobs at stations like WTTG in Washington, D.C., and WKYC-TV in Cleveland, Ohio. By 1983, his working relationship with WNBC-TV began as an intermittent weekend weathercaster. The '90s were a big year for Roker, as he made appearances on "NBC News at Sunrise" and "Today," and, most interestingly, founded his own entertainment company.

In 1994, with Roker rising as a TV personality, he founded Al Roker Entertainment. From its conception, the company, according to its website, aimed to elevate storytelling and build community. This is certainly an apparent aspect in the projects it's produced over the years. After its smaller-scale projects, such as "Coast Guard Alaska" and "Celebrity Holiday Homes," it moved on to more insightful pieces years later, like "American Nurse Heroes," "Forging the Future," and "Kenyatta." Luckily, this allowed Roker to flex his creative muscles as a director and producer for various projects across notable TV networks like HGTV and Hallmark.

The '90s couldn't have been any better for Roker. With his career reaching new heights after starting at NBC, he not only fulfilled his passion as a weathercaster but also met the love of his life. In 1990, Roker met Deborah Roberts, a general assignment reporter for "Today." It wasn't love at first sight for Roberts, however, as during Roker's 2021 appearance on "The Kelly Clarkson Show," he stated that Roberts put him in the "friend zone." 

Roker got to venture out of this presumed friendship when he had to house-sit for Roberts while she was out of town for work. During this time, Roker noted how deserted her place was of food, prompting him to make sure that wasn't the case. "A day before she got back from her trip, I stocked her pantry, I stocked her refrigerator, and left some flowers on the table, and a note, 'Welcome home,'" he said. "And then I got my first date with her a week later."

The two became inseparable, but Roberts' longing for marriage almost saw them split prematurely. Luckily, Roker popped the question, albeit after a series of misunderstandings, on New Year's Day in 1994. Roker and Roberts later married in 1995, with notable names like Barbara Walters and Katie Couric in attendance.

Amid his regular stints as NBC's go-to weatherman and budding relationship with Roberts, Roker also ventured into fatherhood again. Born in 1987, his first child, Courtney Melissa Roker, came from Rocker's previous relationship with his ex-wife, Alice Bell. On November 17, 1998, Rocker and Roberts introduced their first daughter, Leila Ruth Roker, and later, on July 18, 2002, the two welcomed their son, Nicholas Roker.

His love for his children is palpable. So much so that Rocker noted watching them traverse into adulthood induced anxiety (via Today). "I think it becomes even more anxiety-ridden, because when they're smaller, they are under your roof and you can take care of them and try to protect them as best as you can," he said. "But as they go out and venture out into the world, you have less control over that. But yet your love and your worry for them doesn't lessen. It probably only increases."

Despite this, Rocker did the best raising them. With Courtney succeeding as a chef, Leila having the freedom to express her creativity — something Rocker never got as a child — and Nick, who, amidst his autism diagnosis, was showered with love and support, it's apparent that his children are all thriving in their own ways.

Once 2002 rolled around, Roker was in the prime of his broadcasting days on "Today." While his career was on the rise, Roker's health issues became prominent in his personal life. As a man who led a relatively sedentary lifestyle, he had issues with his weight. Even with traditional dieting methods, Roker found that he couldn't sustain that lifestyle enough for it to have a positive effect on his health. That was until he decided to undergo gastric bypass surgery.

In a 2025 interview with People, Roker shared that his father encouraged him to have the surgery. "To be honest, I struggled with my weight for most of my adult life. And my dad had gotten very ill, and at one point toward the end, he made me promise that I was going to get in shape," he explained. "And he said, point-blank, 'Look, we both know I'm not going to be here to help you raise your kids. You've got to be here for your children.' And that really stuck with me, and that led me to do a gastric bypass." 

Since then, Roker kept 150 pounds off through a series of intentional decisions. Regarding his eating habits and overall approach to exercise, he found it helpful to make the small changes as opposed to the big, drastic ones. "I do believe that something's better than nothing," he stated.

With a taste of virality in 2005 after reporting on Hurricane Wilma in Naples, Florida, it was clear just how much of a cultural phenomenon Roker was. His rise to stardom, however, was unique in that it transcended his career as a weatherman and ventured into sitcoms, movies, and even animations. Alongside his gig on "Today," Roker got to regularly play himself — or other fictional counterparts — in various acting projects over the years, with his first being in a 1993 episode of "Seinfeld."

From there, he made several cameos in notable projects like "Men in Black," "Will & Grace," "The Proud Family," "The Simpsons," "30 Rock," and more. In 2023, his inclusion in "Good Burger 2" marked his 50th on-screen cameo, which Today was sure to celebrate with a timeline of his most notable appearances. During the segment, Roker expressed gratitude for being invited on sets to "make a fool of himself" throughout various classic films and television shows. "It's really kind of bizarre, you know," he stated.

Roker has been in and out of the hospital for a wide array of health issues that came with his growing age, whether it be rotator cuff repair, knee and hip replacements, or emergency carpal tunnel surgery. One of the more harrowing cases was Roker's prostate cancer diagnosis in 2020. On an episode of "Today," Roker informed their viewers of this diagnosis and how serious it was. "After a routine check-up in September, turns out I have prostate cancer," he said. "It's a good news-bad news kind of thing. Good news is, we caught it early. Not-great news is that it's a little aggressive, so I'm going to be taking some time off to take care of this."

Roker successfully underwent surgery shortly after. His return saw him express gratitude to his coworkers and fans who had shown their support during this difficult time. It surely isn't one he'll forget, as in a January episode of "Today," Roker revealed that he signed on to appear in a project revolving around prostate cancer with SurvivorNet titled "Men Beating the Odds." In it, Roker sat down with three other cancer survivors to raise awareness about the disease and more. "You know, one in eight men are affected by prostate cancer ... and there's still this stigma surrounding this disease," he explained. "So, the four of us came together, sharing our experiences, some of the misconceptions, and challenges we face."

Holding a Guinness World Record is a feat most would be lucky to achieve. Alongside his notable success on television, many may not know that Roker holds multiple world records as a newscaster. The first of which came in 2014 in his ambitious "Rokerthon." During this time, Roker attempted to break the record for the longest uninterrupted live weather report. He'd do so, as Roker broadcast for 34 hours, with all proceeds going to the United Service Organization (USO).

His second "Rokerthon" in 2015 proved even more successful, as Roker broke the record for fastest time to report in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Roker somehow did this in 7 days and 18 minutes (via Guinness World Records). His third "Rokerthon" in 2017 raised the bar even more, with Roker attempting to break numerous records at different universities. Some of which included the largest conga line on ice, the largest game of freeze tag, and more. His last came in 2021, when Roker held his fourth "Rokerthon" on "Today." With the help of other meteorologists from different areas, the four-hour broadcast saw Roker break the record for the most people in an online weather reporting relay.

Growing up, Roker's mother, Isabel Roker, had an affinity for food. As a result, Roker adopted her passion for cooking, albeit in his own way. Thanks to some of his early Food Network specials like "Al Roker's World Championship Barbecue" and "Al Roker's Big Bad BBQ," Roker began a working relationship with the Food Network. In 2004, he signed on to the network for "Roker on the Road," where he would travel the world trying various dishes. This gig lasted a lengthy four seasons, spanning three years.

His prominence as an at-home chef started thanks to the Food Network, leading him to have his own cooking segments on "Today" and successful cookbooks. Considering the success he garnered without pursuing a job as a chef, it's certainly surprising that this wouldn't be his profession of choice. During a 2018 episode of "When I Grow Up" on "Today," where Roker spent the day as a line cook, he quipped on why being a weatherman worked out better for him. 

"I'm a fantastic weatherman ... I mean, the pressure in there is ... I could never do this. Maybe ... if I practiced for years, but that is, I mean, it's a dance ... just the memorization," he said. "[They] keep callin' out items. Things keep spittin' out constantly. It's crazy. I mean, I'd be in a knife fight every day."

Roker's history in voice acting has been well documented, as he's appeared in notable hits like "The Penguins of Madagascar," "Kung Fu Panda 3," and "The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder." Two thousand and twenty-five, however, became home to a self-curated animation on PBS Kids called "Weather Hunters." As a co-curator of this series, this was a perfect venture for Roker, as he blended his love for meteorology and cartoons seamlessly into a legitimate show.

Given its premise of an 8-year-old Lily Hunter going on "weather hunts" with her family, it was clear where the inspiration was pulled from. In a PBS article written by Roker, the 71-year-old meteorologist used his family as the foundation for the show's plot. "It's not a coincidence that animated Al and I have a lot in common — did I mention he's a handsome and brilliant weathercaster?" Roker quipped. 

"Al Hunter's family is inspired by my own. His wife, Dot — a multitasking TV producer and mom — is inspired by my own incredible wife, journalist Deborah Roberts. Their oldest daughter, 11-year-old Corky, is passionate and determined as she chases down weather mysteries, just like my daughter Courtney. Eight-year-old Lily, a budding scientist and future meteorologist, is much like my daughter, Leila. And five-year-old Benny, a fanciful artist, was inspired by my son Nick." Luckily, the show's conception was met with success, as "Weather Hunters" earned recognition from organizations like the NAACP and the American Library Association.