Al Roker's wife gives update after his knee replacement: 'Harder surgery'
Al Roker remains on the mend after undergoing a total knee replacement.
The TODAY weatherman’s wife, Deborah Roberts, shared an update on Instagram on May 21, letting fans know that he is continuing his recovery, while noting he’s not as quick to get back on his feet, since this is a second replacement.
“Thank you all so much for being so concerned about him and so interested in his well-being,” Roberts said in the video.
“As many of you know, he had a knee re-replacement. It had been replaced many, many years ago and had problems and had to be replaced. And it makes it slow going. It makes it a little tougher. It was a harder surgery.
“So it’s a little bit harder to snap back from, but he’s doing pretty well, moving a little slowly. In fact, he’s back right here on the other side of me. He is not interested in getting involved (in the video) today, but he wants to say thank you to everybody who have asked about him.”
Al has been absent from TODAY since May 9, but he's kept fans in the loop about his experience with the second replacement. He initially underwent knee replacement surgery 23 years ago, and during his last appearance on TODAY earlier this month, he said he expected to be out “for a little while to take care of the knee.”
On May 15, he called into TODAY to let everyone know how he was doing.
“Just been kind of hanging out,” he said. “Just chilling out, not doing anything, which I know a lot of people find hard to believe, but in fact that is the case.”
Roberts, meanwhile, thanked fans for wishing her family the best and said her husband is anxious to resume his TODAY duties.
“Al is chomping at the bit to try to get back to work,” she said. “But the doctor wants him to just take it slowly so that he can continue to heal well.”
Roberts also said Al has been a little too quick to get back on his feet for her liking.
“Some of you may have seen him cooking. I did not like that he was up and trying to do that because he needed to give himself some time and some rest and elevate his leg and ice it and all of that. So, he’s doing all that. He’s trying to obey the doctor’s orders, so that he can get back to work and to play as soon as possible."
“I’m sure he’ll be popping up soon,” she added.
Al is known for his walking routine and taking part in Start TODAY. Prior to this most recent knee replacement, he walked the Brooklyn Half Marathon in May 2022, and in August 2022, he crossed a threshold of walking at least 10,000 steps for 200 consecutive days. In March of this year, he set a personal best with more than 13,600 steps.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
