During the latest episode of the Today show, Al Roker was the center of John Mellencamp’s jokes as the singer poked fun at the host’s weather reporting skills.
John Mellencamp took a playful swipe at Al Roker during his appearance on the Today show.
On Friday, January 16, the Grammy Award-winning singer, 74, stopped by the morning program to discuss his upcoming summer tour, Dancing Words Tour – The Greatest Hits. While discussing his own career longevity, John suddenly turned the spotlight on the weatherman, questioning how he’d maintained such a lengthy career despite questionable predictions.
“I have a question for Al,” he started. “Why is it… that with all the new weather stuff you people have, are you doing as bad a job as they did in 1955?”
His remark sent Craig Melvin and Dylan Dreyer into fits of laughter. After his colleagues composed themselves, Al responded, “That’s a good question. You have just spoken for America!”
Noticing the host taking it in stride, the musician pressed on, “It’s like how on earth – you have guys have all this information!”
As a meteorologist herself, Dylan jumped in to defend her colleague, reminding viewers, “Remind him we’re predicting the future.”
John Mellencamp calls out Al Roker for “bad job” on Today (Image: TODAY)
“David Letterman used to be the weatherman in Indiana, and he was much right than you guys,” John continued, name-dropping the former NBC personality best remembered for hosting The Late Show.
Al countered, “I’m still doing it, and I’m making money, so I must be doing something right.”
The musician wrapped up his good-natured ribbing with praise, hinting that Al’s longevity might stem from his “handsome” looks. His closing remark smoothed things over as the pair “made up” and exchanged a high-five.
While Craig kept laughing, Al observed, “You just made Craig Melvin’s day. Maybe my year. That is a clip that will live in infamy, John Mellencamp. It will be right after the ‘Jack & Diane’ video,” alluding to his most famous music video from 1982.
John Mellencamp appears on the Today show (Image: TODAY)
Al has been a fixture on the Today show for the past three decades. He came aboard on January 26, 1996, formally taking over for Willard Scott as the primary weekday weather forecaster.
The presenter currently holds the record for the longest tenure in the program and shows no signs of leaving anytime soon.
In an interview with The Sun before his 70th birthday, Al’s wife, Deborah Roberts, said the word “retirement” hadn’t yet entered their vocabulary.
“We don’t even like that word. We think of it as a dirty word,” she explained. “Because honestly, we’re both still having a great time. We’re still exploring, still discovering, still traveling, still doing so much of what we love. So why would we even want to say that dirty ‘r’ word?”
