Al Roker Discharged On Thanksgiving After Hospitalization For Blood Clots

Al Roker is heading home for Thanksgiving DINNER after a few stressful weeks.

The veteran weather presenter got admitted to the hospital after a blood clot was discovered on his leg earlier this month. Things worsened when the clot broke into multiple pieces that reached his lungs. 

Roker shared a heartwarming video of him letting out a 'wahoooo' as he exited the hospital just in time for some Thanksgiving dinner. The old timer wore a black cap, green-themed shirt, and dark pants for his victorious walk.

"This is my version of the Thanksgiving Day parade. Getting ready to leave the hospital. Time to blow this taco stand," Roker said in the Instagram clip that was captioned, "So much to be #thankful for on the #thanksgiving day. Leaving the hospital and home for #thanksgivingdinner."

The comment section was iilled with hearty cheers, with one fan claiming, "This makes me so happy." The occasional "3rd Hour Today" co-host made supporters even happier when he uploaded a photo of him sitting in front of a TV set in his kitchen.

With a huge grin on his face and a thumbs up, the beloved celeb expressed how much he missed being next to his parade co-hosts, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, with a caption that read, "Back home in time to catch a little bit of the #macysthanksgivingdayparade."

The duo undoubtedly missed him as well, as they sent their good wishes to the 68-year-old who had not missed live-reporting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 27 years. Guthrie gushed, "We love you, Al. We'll see you next year."

The sweetest update came some hours later in the form of two pictures that showed Roker's family flanking him. While the first snap featured his gorgeous wife, Deborah Roberts, and his three kids — Courtney, Leila, and Nicolas, the second was a selfie of the kids. 

The "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" voice star sent fans into a frenzy when he told them of his hospitalization in an Instagram post a week ago. Along with a picture of flowers and an NBC News Weather mug, the "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?" guest star penned:

"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."

He finished by thanking his supporters for "all the well wishes and prayers" and expressed hope that he would see them soon. Several people, including his NBC colleagues, reiterated their love for him in the comment section.

Over the years, Roker has suffered a handful of health complications, including undergoing a knee replacement in 2001 and again in 2016, a back operation in 2005, and gastric bypass surgery. Per The Blast, the gastric bypass procedure helped him to shed 100 pounds after eight months, a feat he celebrated via an Instagram dump in March 2022.

The journalist's dump included a snap of him holding up the size 54 jeans he wore to the 2002 surgery and wearing them in the second and third slides. The iconic weatherman used his hand to hold the jeans, emphasizing his now-trim figure. He wrote in the caption:

"Hard to believe it was 20 years ago today, I wore these size 54 Levi jeans to my #gastricbypass at 340lbs, and here I am today."

Even though he admitted that keeping the weight was "still a struggle," he was more than determined not to go back to being overweight. He concluded, "I have setbacks and struggle every day, but I never forget how far I've come."

Amongst the 4k+ comments was this one that read, "Congrats Al. No small feat!!! Admire your attitude and commitment and thank you for the inspiration!!!!!" A second fan wrote, "So proud of you, Al! Thank you for sharing your journey for so many years.