Al Roker: NBC, News, Daughter, Wife, Books, Career and Net Worth
Al Roker Biography
Al Roker is a celebrated American television personality, journalist, author, actor, and weather forecaster. He is best known as the longtime weather anchor on NBC’s Today Show and often appears as a co-anchor on NBC Nightly News. In addition to his NBC roles, Roker also hosted Wake Up with Al on The Weather Channel. He holds an inactive Television Seal from the American Meteorological Society.
Al Roker Education
Roker attended Xavier High School in Manhattan before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1976.
Al Roker Age and Birthday
Born Albert Lincoln Roker Jr. on August 20, 1954, in New York City, Al Roker is 70 years old as of 2025. He is an American citizen and proudly embraces his Jamaican-Bahamian heritage.
Height and Weight
Roker stands at 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 meters) tall and maintains a weight of approximately 176 pounds (80 kilograms).
Family Background
Al Roker is the son of Isabel and Albert Lincoln Roker Sr., a bus driver. His parents hail from Jamaica and the Bahamas, reflecting a rich Caribbean lineage.
Wife and Children
Al Roker is currently married to a television journalist Deborah Roberts. The couple tied the knot on September 16, 1995, and have since built a loving family together. They are proud parents to two children: daughter Leila, born on November 17, 1998, and son Nicholas, born on July 18, 2002. The family resides in a townhouse on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and also owns a home nestled in the scenic foothills of the Berkshires. A devout Episcopalian, Roker regularly attends St. James’ Episcopal Church in Manhattan.
Before his marriage to Roberts, Roker was first married to Mary Puglisi, his college sweetheart. The two wed on the very day they graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1976. While living in Cleveland years later, they candidly shared their experiences as an interracial couple. After their divorce, Roker married WNBC producer Alice Bell in December 1984. Together, they adopted a daughter, Courtney, as an infant in 1987. That marriage also ended in divorce.
Al Roker News
In February 2025, Al Roker experienced the loss of his first wife, Alice Bell, who passed away at the age of 77. They were married from 1984 to 1994 and shared an adopted daughter, Courtney Roker Laga. Courtney paid tribute to her mother on social media, expressing deep affection and gratitude.
In happier news, Al Roker announced in March 2025 that his daughter Leila became engaged to her longtime boyfriend, Sylvain Gricourt, in Venice, Italy. The couple had been together for seven years before the proposal.
Al Roker Health Journey
Roker has been open about his numerous health challenges and triumphs:
2001: Underwent total knee replacement surgery.
2002: Opted for gastric bypass surgery after struggling with weight management, resulting in a dramatic 100-pound weight loss.
2005: Had back surgery.
2016: Underwent a second knee replacement.
2018: Had emergency carpal tunnel surgery.
2019: Received a hip replacement.
2020: Diagnosed with prostate cancer in September and underwent successful surgery in November.
2022: Hospitalized due to blood clots in his lungs. Additional complications revealed included internal bleeding, two bleeding ulcers, a colon resection, and gallbladder removal.
Roker credits his wife and the dedicated medical team at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital for saving his life.
Al Roker Passed Away | Is Al Roker Still Alive?
As of May 30, 2025, Al Roker is alive and well. He continues his role as the beloved weather anchor on NBC’s Today show. Recently, he took a brief vacation, which led to his temporary absence from the show, but it was not due to any health concerns
Weight Loss and Diet
Al Roker’s 2002 gastric bypass surgery marked a turning point in his health. He lost over 100 pounds and became a vocal advocate for healthy living. He later embraced the ketogenic diet, which he credits for helping him maintain his fitness and energy levels.
Al Roker Net Worth
Roker has an estimated net worth of $35 million, earned through decades of work in television, radio, authorship, and acting. A fan of luxury cars, he has a preference for Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Salary
As one of NBC’s most recognizable faces, Roker earns an annual salary of $10 million.
Al Roker Career
While still a student at SUNY Oswego, Al Roker got his start in broadcasting as a weather anchor for CBS affiliate WHEN-TV (now WTVH) in Syracuse, New York, from 1974 to 1976. During his college years, he also showcased his on-air talents as a DJ at the campus radio station, WNYO. After graduating, Roker launched his professional career in Washington, D.C., taking a weathercasting job at WTTG, then an independent station owned by Metromedia. He remained there for nearly two years, gaining valuable on-air experience.
Roker’s career with NBC officially began in 1978 when he was hired by WKYC in Cleveland, an NBC-owned and operated station. After five successful years in Cleveland, he was promoted and returned to his hometown of New York City to join WNBC-TV. Starting in late 1983, he served as the weekend weathercaster, and within just eight months, he was promoted to the weeknight weather slot. He succeeded longtime WNBC-TV meteorologist Dr. Frank Field, who had left the station following a contract dispute.
Between 1983 and 1996, Roker was a regular substitute for meteorologist Joe Witte on NBC News at Sunrise. From 1990 to 1995, and again in the late 1990s and 2000s, he frequently filled in for Willard Scott, Bryant Gumbel, and Matt Lauer on The Today Show. In 1995, he took on his own program, The Al Roker Show, a weekend talk show that aired on CNBC.
Roker’s national popularity soared after he appeared in a quirky segment on Late Night with David Letterman, where he participated in an impromptu elevator race—thanks to the show’s studio being just across the hall from WNBC’s newsroom in the GE Building. The appearance helped pave the way for his role as the weather forecaster on Weekend Today, and he soon became a familiar face on the weekday edition as well, often stepping in for Willard Scott during absences.
Al Roker Books
Beyond broadcasting, Al Roker is a prolific author. In collaboration with Dick Lochte, he co-authored a series of murder mystery novels including The Morning Show Murders and The Midnight Show Murders. Their literary work earned a nomination for the prestigious Nero Award in 2011.
Roker also co-wrote Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times in 2016 with his wife, Deborah Roberts. His personal weight-loss journey was chronicled in the 2013 memoir, Never Goin’ Back: Winning the Weight Loss Battle for Good.
