Letting My Feelings Show

The beloved Today show weatherman and cohost on turning 70 and how he approaches life a little differently after his 2022 health scare

- By AL ROKER, New York, New York

It might sound strange, considering I make my living on television and have been the weatherman and co-host on the Today show for 29 years, but in my personal life, I shy away from the spotlight. I'd much rather celebrate someone else, make a big deal out of their birthday instead of my own.

Which is why I tried my best to dissuade my wife, Deborah Roberts, from throwing a party for my birthday last August. But I knew I couldn't stop her. It was a milestone birthday, after all—my seventieth.

The truth was, I was feeling a little melancholy about turning 70. My dad never made it to this age. He passed away at 69. Dad was my role model and inspiration for being a good husband and father. I was the oldest of six kids, and three of my siblings were adopted. Mom and Dad brought foster children into our home too. Sometimes people would ask why they'd taken on raising so many children, and Dad would say simply, “There are no limits to how much you can love.”

He was similarly openhearted when it came to expressing his feelings, which wasn't typical of men of his generation. He would cry and laugh unabashedly, and he hugged and kissed us kids often. We always knew we were loved. Me, I laughed easily, but otherwise, I tended to show my emotions less than Dad did.

It was kind of disconcerting knowing that I would soon surpass how long my dad had been on earth. Especially because I too almost didn't make it to 70.