The 67-year-old meteorologist is battling some severe weather conditions to bring viewers the latest updates on Hurricane Ida.
Al Roker isn't interested in viewers' concerns that he's too old to be covering Hurricane Ida, which has led to at least one fatality and left more than one million homes and businesses without power. The category 4 storm touched down in Louisiana on Sunday and 67-year-old Roker was at Lake Pontchartrain reporting on the storm as rough winds and water hit him live on the air during a broadcast for Meet the Press.
"My executive editor, @erinnmcgarry, just shot this as we’re getting wind gusts in 80+mph range here in #neworleans as we’re battered by #hurricaneida," Roker posted on Sunday.
Viewers of Roker out in the storm were quick to take to Twitter to comment. "Why is this still a thing? Is anything helped by sticking near-elderly weathermen out into a hurricane that you're supposed to be evacuated from? This is stupid and dangerous for no reason at all," read one remark.
Another tweet about Roker read, "Maybe let’s not. A 70 year old in the eye of a hurricane isn’t that much fun to see."
Roker wasn't having it. The Today show co-host later appeared on The Sunday Show With Jonathan Capehart where he defended the decision.
"I volunteered to come out here. This is what I do. I've been doing this for 40 years," he explained. "Our crews and we all make sure that we're safe. We're not going to do something that's going to put us in harm's way. As much as I love the weather and I love NBC, I'm not gonna risk my life for it."
As for those calling out Roker's age, he kept it pretty straightforward.
"A number of people said, 'Well, he's too old to be doing this.' Well, guess what? Screw you! Keep up," Roker quipped as host Capehart laughed.
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