RETIREMENT RUMORS?: Today’s Al Roker, 71, breaks silence on retirement rumors as he celebrates 30 years on NBC morning show

TODAY Show host Al Roker has finally broken his silence and set the record straight amid reports that he’s retiring.

The weatherman shared the update while celebrating 30 years on the NBC morning show.

 

Weather presenter Al Roker on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno".

Al Roker, seen on The Tonight Show in 1996, set the record straight amid retirement rumors while celebrating 30 years on TODAYCredit: Getty

Al Roker smiling while sitting on a couch on the set of The Today Show.

The beloved weatherman, seen in a TODAY still from January 2024, has enjoyed an illustrious careerCredit: Getty

Ahead of the milestone anniversary, Al, 71, sat down with PEOPLE to discuss his plans for the future.

“Well, let’s put it this way. I haven’t thought about retirement,” he assured the magazine.

“Somebody at NBC, that might be a different story.”

The longtime TODAY host said he remains as passionate about his job after three decades as he was when he first started.

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Al hinted, however, that at some point he’ll have to hang it up.

“I love what I do,” he said.

“I feel good. I love this job. I love doing it. At some point I guess I won’t be, but I don’t feel like that’s anytime soon, so I’m just gonna keep going.”

In addition to celebrating his own career, Al paid tribute to his co-stars.

 

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“I think that’s the beauty of the broadcast is that the mission over these 74 years has not changed,” he said.

“The way we bring it to you may have, and look, the fact of the matter is we are each temporary custodians of this legacy … at some point I won’t be part of the show, somebody else will be, but to be part of a pretty cool club is very special. To say that this was a dream job isn’t really accurate because it never dawned on me that I could be on the Today show.”

President Barack Obama and Al Roker standing side-by-side in a forest by a stream.

Al, pictured with former President Barack Obama in April 2021, reflected on some of the big moments in his careerCredit: Getty

Noting that he’s been “really, really fortunate” to be able to work on TODAY for all these years, Al reflected on a particularly memorable day on the show.

“I guess it was about 10 years ago in one 24-hour period out in California, I interviewed Don Rickles, Betty White, Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke, and it was like, wow, I’m a kid from Queens out doing this,” he said.

ROUGH ROAD

While there’s much to celebrate about Al’s career, the TV personality has marked other major milestones in life as well.

In November 2025, he celebrated five years since undergoing surgery for prostate cancer in 2020.

 

He posted a video montage on social media that showed him in a hospital room at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

Al thanked the medical team that supported him through that period of his life.

He also took the opportunity to encourage other men to get tested for prostate cancer.

“Five years ago today, I had my cancerous prostate removed,” he captioned the post.

“Thanks to Dr. Vincent Laudone and the staff at @memorialsloankettering for the treatment I received and to all the men out there, and the folks that love them, make sure you get your PSA checked, especially if you’re a man of color.

“We have higher rates of getting and dying from prostate cancer.”

Al Roker smiling while seated at a desk on The Today Show.

Al, pictured on the TODAY set in April 2024, confirmed he has no plans to retire anytime soonCredit: Getty

Al assured fans in the comments he’s doing well after going into remission in May 2021.

“Folks, to be clear. This is the 5th anniversary of my prostate cancer surgery,” he wrote.

“PSA is negligible. All is good.”

While his cancer is under control, the TODAY host has had other health setbacks.

In May 2023, he underwent a total knee replacement.

The procedure left him out of work for four weeks as he recovered.

 

The surgery was delayed due to blood clots in his legs and lungs.

Al had a previous surgery on his knee in April 2022.

Al Roker in a hospital gown and glasses, sitting in a reclining chair with an IV in his arm and smiling broadly.

Today’s Al, pictured in the hospital in a photo shared by wife Deborah Roberts, has suffered some major health setbacksCredit: Instagram / Deborah Roberts

Al Roker smiling and giving a thumbs up in a brown rain jacket and hat while holding a microphone on a rainy day in New York City.

The TV host, seen at the 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, battled cancer and has undergone several surgeriesCredit: Splash

Al Roker, Katie Couric, and Matt Lauer hosting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Al, pictured alongside Katie Couric, and Matt Lauer during the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, began hosting TODAY in 1996Credit: Getty

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