Hoda Kotb shared well-wishes for her fellow anchor Al Roker on Today on Thursday, December 1, after it was revealed that he returned to the hospital to address complications caused by blood clots. The anchor, 58, said that she wished Al, 68, could’ve been with them as they celebrated the Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony the night prior, but shared an update with viewers.
We’re sending our love to @alroker as he returns to hospital.
He and his family want everybody to know how grateful they are for all the love, support, and well wishes ❤️ pic.twitter.com/pCsSsmA5wU
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 1, 2022
Hoda assured fans that Al was in good hands as he addresses his medical issues and said that he and his family were very thankful for everyone’s concern. “We all wish that Al could’ve been with us, but due to some complications, he is back in the hospital, and he’s in very good care. He’s resting, and his doctors are keeping a close eye on him,” she said. “Al and his family want everybody to know how grateful they are for all the love, the support, and the well-wishes.”
After Al was absent from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade due to the health complications, Hoda said that she and Craig Melvin did speak with him briefly while they were covering it. “Craig and I had a chance to FaceTime him from the parade, and he gave us a big thumbs-up. So, good to see Al,” she said. “He seemed good.”
She also said that he showed them that he was supporting them from home, even though he couldn’t be there in person. “It was great to see him and we just, it was the commercial break, we’re like, ‘Al!’ He’s like, ‘Hey! It’s on!’ He pointed to his TV, so I know he was watching it,” she said.
During the Thanksgiving parade, Al’s co-hosts showed that he was missed as he couldn’t attend for the first time in nearly 30 years. “As a lot of you have heard, Al is recovering, and he’s recovering very well from a recent medical issue. We just want to say, we love you, Al. Wonder if you’re watching, but we wish you a full recovery,” Hoda said, and Savannah Guthrie said she looked forward to him being at the parade in 2023. “We love you, Al. We’ll see you next year,” she added.
Hoda’s announcement came after it was reported that Al had returned to the hospital the day after Thanksgiving. His wife Deborah Roberts and one of his daughters reportedly followed the ambulance to be with him. After some time in the hospital, Al did announce that he got to go home and spend Thanksgiving with his family in an Instagram post. “So very thankful to be able to be home for Thanksgiving dinner with family,” he wrote.