Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. (born August 20, 1954) is an American television broadcaster, best known as the weather anchor for NBC's Today show. He holds American Meteorological Society Television Seal #238.

Personal life

Born in the New York City borough of Queens, New York, in 1954, Roker initially wanted to be a cartoonist before he got into television. He was raised Catholic (in the faith of his devoutly Catholic mother) and graduated from Xavier High School in Manhattan.^[1] He worked on several projects as a member of the school's Cartooning & Illustration club. He attended the State University of New York at Oswego where he double majored in graphic design and broadcasting/journalism in college. He worked in television around the Cleveland and New York areas before he became a weatherman for WNBC in New York City.

In 2001, Roker had a knee operation. In 2002, in accordance with his late father's wish, Roker underwent gastric bypass surgery to lose weight, which he said he did after failing at numerous diets. Eight months after the surgery, the New York Daily News reported he dropped 100 pounds (45 kg) off his 320-pound figure.^[2] In 2005 Roker had a back operation. Since then, he appears to have regained some weight.^[3]

His wife is fellow journalist Deborah Roberts, who has reported for both ABC and NBC where she met Roker when she first joined the network in 1990 as a reporter. They both worked together on Today from 1990-1995 with Roberts filling in for Faith Daniels, Margaret Larson and Matt Lauer at the Newsdesk and Roker filling in for Willard Scott as the weatherman. Roker also filled in for weatherman Joe Witte on the former NBC News program NBC News at Sunrise from 1983 to 1996. Al Roker has three children.

Career

Before the national recognition, Roker worked as a weather anchor for the CBS affliate WTVH based in Syracuse, New York in 1974-1976, for Washington, D.C.'s FOX affiliate WTTG in 1976-1978, and for the Cleveland area NBC affiliate WKYC-TV in 1978-1983. He was also the weather anchor for WNBC in New York City for several years starting in 1983.

In 1995, he became the host of The Al Roker Show, a weekend talk show on CNBC. In 1996-1997, he hosted a game show on MSNBC called Remember This?.

Roker started getting more exposure, especially when David Letterman asked him to do an elevator race with him in one episode of his talk show Late Night with David Letterman, which taped across the hall from WNBC's news studio in the GE Building. That led Roker to getting a job as the weatherman for Weekend Today, where he did the weather for nine years. He also substituted on the weekday edition of Today when Willard Scott was ill or away. In 1996, Scott announced his semi-retirement from the show, and Roker received the weekday weatherman position on Today, where he has been since. He officially joined Today on January 26 1996. Roker became popular for doing his forecasts outside of the studio, interviewing audience members and giving some of them camera time. Roker also began doing more interviews and segments on the show as time progressed.

In 2005, Roker reported from inside Hurricane Wilma. A popular viral video exists on the internet of Roker being swept off his feet by the force of the hurricane and holding on to his cameraman.

Roker is a game show fan, and hosted a week long segment on Today in honor of five game shows and their hosts. He also appeared as a celebrity player on both Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!. In 2008, Roker is expected to host the NBC celebrity primetime version of Family Feud.^[4] (Al Roker replaced Meredith Vieira for a week of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire shows on March 5-March 9 2007.)

Roker also hosts various programs on The Food Network, namely, Roker on the Road, and, Tricked-Out Tailgating. He is also the author of several non-fiction books, and an avid barbecue enthusiast.

He was the host of Celebrity Family Feud, which began airing on June 24 2008.^[5][6]

Controversy

After Don Imus made controversial comments on his radio show about the Rutgers University women's basketball team, Al Roker expressed his outrage on his blog. He wrote:

"I, for one, am really tired of the diatribes, the 'humor' at others' expense, the cruelty that passes for 'funny.' Don Imus isn't the only one doing this, but today he's the one in the hot seat."^[7]

On June 7 2007, Roker referenced the Olympics logo for 2012:

Remember that controversial Olympic logo for the 2012 Olympics in London? Some folks have complained that the campaign actually sent them into epileptic seizures. Well, we asked you to weigh in on our website in an informal poll; those of you who could get up off the floor after shaking around were able to actually log in . . .

Signature phrases

• In many occasions on Today he has used the phrase "man candy" to describe attractive males.^[10]

• At the end of his weather segments when they cut to local broadcasters for regional updates he says "That's what's going on around the country, here's what's happening in your neck of the woods."

Other appearances and activities

Roker has done some voice acting, as both himself and a genie-like character on The Proud Family, as himself on Space Ghost Coast to Coast ("Chambraigne") promoting a brain-boosting shampoo, and thrice as intrepid reporter Sam Vander Rom in the math-mystery cartoon Cyberchase, including an episode called "The Wedding Scammer", which is a send-up of annual wedding on Today.

He has been referenced in the movies Madagascar, The Simpsons ("Brake My Wife, Please"), Drawn Together ("Lost in Parking Space: Part 1"), and Men in Black, where he is "outed" as an alien. Broadway musical Dirty Rotten Scoundrels includes a song referring to playing "poker with Al Roker."

• He has starred in the Internet flash game Al Roker and the Escape from the Haunted House (or, for short, Al Roker's Haunted House).

• Roker was also the weatherman for several radio stations, including the New York smooth jazz radio station WQCD (101.9 FM) and for Cleveland, Ohio smooth jazz station WNWV (107.3 FM). The service was called the "Al Roker Radio Weather Network," it was provided by United Stations Radio Networks. He has since been replaced on those networks by John Wetherbee.^{[11] [12]}

• Roker was parodied as the weatherman "the great, reliable, portly, Big Al" in the Chappelle's Show skit "Reparations for Slavery". Big Al changes his voice from white-audience friendly (an imitation of Roker's onscreen persona) to "gangsta" and reveals that his real name is Alton Sims.

• Al Roker holds the record for most guest appearances on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, with over 30.^[13] Roker is considered one of Late Night's "go to" guys?along with comedian and commentator Al Franken, who has the second most appearances?whenever a scheduled guest cancels.

• Is the cousin of The Jeffersons star Roxie Roker and her son Lenny Kravitz.

• Famous painter Mike Jennings of Alamo, California, has begun work on a mural to Al Roker in order to express his fan adoration.

• Al Roker is the basis for the animated series Family Guys character of Ollie Williams, the meteorologist on Quahog 5 News known for his BlaccuWeather forecast (the name a play on AccuWeather).

• Appears as himself in first episode of Newsradio in 1995.

• Appears as himself at the end of the Seinfeld episode "The Cigar Store Indian" where he steals Jerry's gyro sandwich when he rode on the subway with Elaine after she ruined Frank's TV Guide that had Roker on the cover.

• On the February 28, 1998 episode of Saturday Night Live (hosted by David Duchovny), Roker appeared in a "Mango" sketch with Matt Lauer. Usually, the sketch follows the fruitless pursuit of Mango by a character (portrayed by the host). In the middle of this particular sketch, Roker appeared as the object of Lauer's affection. Instead of the famous catch-phrase "Mango, Mango!" Lauer says, "Roker, ROKER!!"

• For a while after becoming the regular weatherman for Today, Roker returned to WNBC's show Live at Five with a trivia segment known as "Al's Tidbit".

• In New York City, August 20 (Roker's birthday) is "Al Roker Day".

• Al Roker made an appearance on 30 Rock on April 5 2007. During the Today show of that day, the appearance was heavily talked about.

• Roker was parodied in Mad Magazine #386 in the song "Livin' to Feed Al Roker" (to be sung to the tune of Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca").

• Al Roker was shown reporting the weather on the movie, Unaccompanied Minors. He was also mentioned later in the movie.

• Roker is well-known as one of New York's best amateur jam-makers, with his raspberry being particularly delicious.

• Roker is an avid audiophile.

• In 2007, Roker became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.^[14]

• Al Roker served as the official spokesperson for Amtrak's National Train Day, which took place on May 10 2008. ^[15]

See also

• Bahamian American
• The Proud Family

References

External links

• Al Roker's personal website
• "Al Roker Investigates" on Court TV
• Al Roker's Bahamas Reunion
• His weblog
• Roker's NBC biography
• Food Network's Al Roker page