Al Roker reveals what helped save his life after 2022 health scare
At the time, the Today show weatherman was hospitalized with blood clots in his legs and lungs, forcing him to miss the annual Thanksgiving Day parade for the first time in 27 years.
After returning home, he ended up in the hospital one month later, with internal bleeding caused by ulcers. During that hospital stay, Roker was pulled into emergency surgery where his colon was resected and his gallbladder was removed.
He returned to the Today show in 2023, explaining more about what happened. 'I lost half my blood. [My doctors] were trying to figure out where it was,' he told the show's viewers about his time in the hospital. 'I really do feel good. I'm sure I'm going to collapse like a stone after this is over because this is the first work I've done. It's been a journey.'
In an interview with People published Tuesday, Roker said his doctor credited his fitness with his survival of the ordeal, saying: 'My doctor said if I had not been in the shape I had been, I would most likely not be here today.'
In 2002, Roker elected to undergo gastric bypass surgery after the number on the scale hit 300. 'There's no magic bullet,' he said Tuesday, adding that the surgery and weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are only 'a means' and not 'the end.'
'You're still going to have to put in the work,' he continued, while highlighting his own exercise regimen of running on the treadmill and then doing 10 minutes of weight training. 'Sometimes you have to push yourself to do the things you need to do.'
Although he does weigh himself every day to keep himself 'grounded,' Roker also said he accepts that there will be the occasional slip-up.
'No one's perfect — you're going to screw up. Lord knows I have. But you just gotta say, 'That was then. And now we're here. What are we gonna do now?'' he said. 'You have to have that chat with yourself.'
Roker has previously discussed his health scare, telling PageSix in a 2023 interview he wouldn't be alive if it weren't for his wife, Deborah Roberts.
At the time, he said that he was 'just so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and prayers and of course, my wife Deborah.'
He added: 'I wouldn't be alive without her.'
'I guess I know it now,' he confessed. 'I didn't know it at the time. Deborah was great at keeping all that away from me so I thought I was doing OK but that was great because I was able to focus on getting better.'
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Additionally, in utero exposure to maternal obesity and diabetes are risk factors for obesity and type 2 diabetes in childhood." The authors said study limitations include self-reported data subject to recall bias and potential misclassification of the type of diabetes. They also flagged GLP-1RAs should be considered alongside intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment (and surgery where applicable). And while expanded insurance coverage may substantially increase access, uninsurance and lack of routine care are barriers to this therapy. How can we ensure young people receive holistic care too? "Improving access to comprehensive obesity treatment will involve ensuring that individuals receive access to healthcare with regular follow-ups and support to engage in health behavior and lifestyle treatment, such as specific programs tailored to providing intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment," said Chetty. "As Dr. Mona Sharifi, a co-author of this paper, has shown, intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment programs can be cost-effective but inadequate funding is the main barrier to implementing and sustaining these programs." What's next? "Given the size and clinical characteristics of the U.S. youth population eligible for GLP-1RAs, there should be greater discussion of how to improve access to GLP-1RAs and other anti-obesity interventions among this population." Do you have a tip on a health story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about GLP-1 drugs? Let us know via health@ Reference Chetty, A. K., Sharifi, M., & Nugent, J. T. (2025). Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist eligibility among US adolescents and young adults. JAMA Pediatrics.
