Last year, for the first time in 27 years, Al Roker was forced to sit out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
His absence was the result of serious health issues relating to a blood clot that traveled from his legs to his lungs, resulting in him spending several days in a New York City hospital.
Thankfully, Roker has made a full recovery. And after a few more surgeries, Roker’s Thanksgiving Day parade fate for the 2023 season has been sealed.
According to new reports, it’s been confirmed that Roker will return to his rightful spot on the parade route. Roker shared the good news on the Today Show Monday morning.
“By the way, the parade was not the same without Al. We said it’s not the same without you,” Hoda Kotb said. Roker responded by joking that the 2022 parade “was better” without him, to which Savannah Guthrie added, “No, you are the parade.”
As Mamas Uncut reported last year, Roker shared a statement explaining his absence. “So many of you have been thoughtfully asking where I’ve been,” Roker said in one of his first statements at the time.
“Last week I was admitted to the hospital with a blood clot in my leg which sent some clots into my lungs. After some medical whack-a-mole, I am so fortunate to be getting terrific medical care and on the way to recovery.”
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“Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers and hope to see you soon. Have a great weekend, everyone.”
Just last week, Al opened up about the health issues he experienced over the last year, which also included a second knee replacement, while a guest on the “Your Mama’s Kitchen” podcast.
“It’s no secret that I had a severe medical issue, and to be completely honest, I almost died. I didn’t know it at the time,” Roker admitted on the podcast. “But I missed Thanksgiving and almost missed Christmas. And I forgot how important those touchstone moments are.”
“I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family and I was not going to let that happen for Christmas. […] It was important to me and gave me something to push for. And I made Christmas dinner.”
And so many of us at home are so happy to hear of Roker’s recovery and return to the parade.