Al Roker’s wife, Deborah Roberts, recently opened up about her husband’s “exhausting” and “frightening” health crisis. While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the acclaimed journalist recalled the illness and subsequent hospital stays that the Today show weatherman suffered in late 2022. “I think a lot of people don’t realize that – and I never realized that – that being a caregiver is really taxing, exhausting, frightening, all of those things and I never went through anything like this,” Roberts shared. “And I hope I’ll never do it again.”
“But it’s tough,” the ABC News reporter went on to add. “It’s tough. I’m still kind of, I think, recuperating. I’m still kind of tired. I’m still mentally exhausted, but you know what, I’m grateful and just trying to just bask in the moment and just be happy that he’s well, and we’re all well.” Roberts then joked that she knows Roker is back to his old self because he’s “back to driving me crazy.”
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Finally, Roberts admitted that she found a lot of support n her family, as she supported Roker through his health crisis. “I would say my faith, my spirituality got me through it,” she stated. “My family got me through it, my colleagues got me through it. Colleagues, many of whom are here today, lifted me up in times when I felt like I just couldn’t make it. People were there and texting and emailing and calling, and that made all the difference.”
In November, Roker had to take a leave of absence from Today, due to some health problems. The issues began in early November when the beloved meteorologist was hospitalized for clots in his legs and lungs. “Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs,” Roker wrote in a Nov. 18 Instagram post. After being treated, he was released to spend Thanksgiving with his family but had to be transported back to the hospital on Friday, Nov. 25.
A source familiar with the situation said, “Al was taken from his home in a stretcher back to the hospital on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. His condition was worrying, but once back in the hospital, he improved.” They added, “His wife, Deborah, was understandably very upset.” The source went on to share that Roberts — an ABC News journalist — “had left her phone and other possessions inside their Tesla, which had malfunctioned and wouldn’t unlock, so she was trying to smash in a window.”
The insider stated that Roberts was “unsuccessful” in her attempt to get inside the electric car. “Deborah then went to the hospital by taxi with her daughter, where Al has since been surrounded by his family.” Notably, Roker’s health issues caused him to miss both the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Thankfully, Roker appears to be doing much better and has been back at Today.
