Al Roker crashed the Today set on his day off—and his third-hour cohosts couldn’t keep it together when they noticed him lurking in the background.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the weatherman, 71, was absent from his usual cohosting spot when 9 a.m. ET rolled around. However, Roker suddenly appeared in the background of the camera shot as she peered through the Studio 1A window while standing on the sidewalk outside.
Sheinelle Jones, Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer were in the middle of interviewing Broadway actor Jordon Litz about running the New York City marathon and then immediately playing Fiyero in Wicked when they acknowledged his presence.
“I gotta be honest with you, it’s hard to keep track and focus, because this guy,” Melvin confessed as he pointed to Roker sipping coffee while standing close to the window.
“Oh my God, Al Roker!” Jones exclaimed, laughing. “Thanks for coming in to work today, buddy.”
“We’re doing a show!” Melvin jokingly scolded him, also laughing.
That’s when Jones explained, “In his defense, he got in really late last night, so we’re letting him sleep in.”
As Roker continued moving around in the camera shot, Jones again drew attention to his presence, saying to Melvin, “What is wrong with your friend? He keeps popping up everywhere.”
Melvin then joked, “Al Roker, he couldn’t come to work today, but he could hang outside the studio.”
Later during the third-hour of today, Roker came inside the studio, walked on the set and shared, “I’d love to stay, but I’ve gotta go. We’ve got things to do.”
To that, Melvin quipped that he was rehearsing for “early retirement.”
Roker, of course, shut down retirement speculation in September 2024 on the heels of Hoda Kotb announcing her Today exit.
“I don’t feel like that’s my time yet, but who knows. Maybe a year or two. Maybe not, but I’m enjoying it. I love this,” he told People. “You don’t get off the train until the last stop.”
Next: Today’s Craig Melvin Makes Blunt Confession While Co-Hosting Jenna & Friends
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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