The lovable weatherman recently revealed he had complications during knee replacement surgery.
Just what the doctor ordered! Al Roker made a surprise appearance during the third hour of the Today show on Thursday, and his colleagues were in utter shock, albeit pleasantly, when they saw the lovable weatherman in-studio.
Today anchors Craig Melvin, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones were about to segue into a commercial after a segment on National Wine Day when, out of nowhere, Roker -- while initially off camera -- belted out a thunderous "Ah ha ha ha!" The commotion prompted Dreyer to scream and put her wine glass down, while Melvin and Jones seemingly ran for cover.
But in a matter of just seconds, the anchors -- and the segment's guest -- realized it was Roker. Still in shock, they all came over to embrace him. Melvin could be heard asking Roker, "What's up, brother?! Good to see you!" The segment's guest also shook Roker's hand and addressed him as Mr. Roker.
The 68-year-old weatherman, who underwent a total knee replacement surgery on Tuesday, looked stylish in a fedora hat, navy blue blazer worn over a pink polo shirt, pink pants and black-and-white sneakers. He walked gingerly on the set with the help of a cane. According to Today, Jones said they were expecting to see Roker that day, but not live on the show.
It was a huge surprise for all involved, considering it was only on Tuesday when he joined the show virtually and offered an update on his recovery.
"I am doing fine. It is good to see all of you. I'm going to be honest. I've had a number of replacements, knee replacements. It’s not a big surprise. This one has been the toughest one yet because they had to take out the old one, which had some complications, and then put in a new one," Roker explained.
Roker then showed off an X-ray of his new knee, to give viewers and his fellow colleagues a look at what he's working with now that his old knee has been replaced. Roker's recent surgery was a revision of a left knee replacement that he had done 23 years ago. He had a previous right knee replacement surgery in 2016, according to Today.
He revealed he'd return to the show the following Tuesday, and so his surprise appearance this morning meant he was five days ahead of schedule.
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