LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: ‘Today’ co-host Al Roker was missing from the studio during the Tuesday morning broadcast of the show on June 13. His absence was instantly questioned by viewers, who were concerned, given Al’s recent tryst with surgeries. The 62-year-old anchor recently underwent two knee replacement surgeries which kept him away from the studio for a while.

Given his history, Al’s absence is immediately linked to a health scare by fans and viewers. But this time, it wasn’t his health that kept him away from the ‘Today’ desk. It was a special story closer to Al’s heart—one that the meteorologist wanted to cover at all costs. Hence, he took a small detour, boarding a New York City bus to cover the story that he was chasing.

Why was Al Roker on a bus?

When Al went missing from the studio, no one expected him to be on a bus to report a story. However, about 30 minutes after the start of the morning broadcast of the ‘Today’ show, Al was seen standing on a New York City bus as he greeted bus drivers from around the city. After a few minutes, the bus drove him around parts of the city. Al interacted with the bus drivers as the vehicle went around Midtown Manhattan. This didn’t stop Al from reporting the weather.

However, Al was not just out for a bus ride. He had a purpose. Al wanted to honor the drivers, who keep the city moving and more importantly, his father, who used to be a bus driver. Al eventually sat down with a few of the drivers and interviewed them about working for New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Al was happy to hear that all the drivers consider the passengers family. Al concluded his journey on a high and returned to the studio in time for the Third Hour of ‘Today,’ with Sheinelle Jones and Craig Melvin.

Al’s knee surgery kept him away

Al had knee surgery on May 9, 2023, which led him to miss the morning show for a while. However, the meteorologist posted an update on Instagram about his condition as he shared a video of the sun shining through the window of his hospital room. Al paired it with the song Lovely Day by Bill Withers and captioned his post, "Feeling grateful and hopeful on this first day with my new knee Who knew?” Al returned to the studio late in May with a cane and now appears to be doing fine without one.