Hoda Kotb, Savannah Guthrie & More ‘Today’ Stars Celebrate Al Roker’s Birthday Amid Absence

Al Roker may have be absent from Today this week, but he felt the love from his past and present cohosts on his 71st birthday.

“Happy birthday to @alroker … one of a kind!” Hoda Kotb captioned a Wednesday, August 20, Instagram post. “My favorite memory of Al’s birthday was when my kids and I baked him a cake…FaceTimed him with our party hats on.. sang happy birthday… he looked puzzled! Later i learned that his birthday is NOT actually in December… it’s in august! Happy birthday— on time this year.”

Kotb’s birthday tribute featured several photos of herself and her daughters — Haley, 8, and Hope, 6 — with Roker over the years, including a snap of them showing off their birthday cake for Roker via FaceTime a few years ago. Roker can be seen smiling at the sweet gesture in the throwback snap. (Kotb bid farewell to her longtime Today hosting gig back in January.)

Craig Melvin also posted several photos of himself and Roker on Today via Instagram on Wednesday. “Happy Birthday to my buddy, @alroker! 🎉,” Melvin wrote. “Thank you for being a dear friend and mentor. You’re the gold standard privately and professionally. I hope you’re having an extra special day, brother.”

Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager also celebrated Roker’s birthday via their Instagram Stories. “Happiest birthday to the life of our party and our sunshine ☀️@alroker,” Guthrie wrote over a snap of the Today cast on Wednesday.

 

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Bush Hager, meanwhile, shared a pic of herself and Roker smiling into the camera. “Happy birthday to an American treasure @alroker,” she captioned the photo.

Roker’s Today colleagues celebrated his birthday on the 30 Rockefeller Center plaza during Wednesday’s episode of the NBC morning show. “We FaceTimed with Al this morning. He’s having a great birthday,” Guthrie told viewers. “We’re playing ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ [by Elton John] for him. You know Al likes to blast that from his [dressing room]. We love you, Al, wherever you are in the world!”

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Roker has been absent from Today all week, as he is currently enjoying some time off in Italy with his wife, Deborah Roberts. “To the man who brings life, love and laughs to my world, a heartfelt happy birthday,” the ABC News personality captioned her own Instagram birthday tribute on Wednesday. “Your kindness, joy and generosity are boundless blessings. Love you so much!”

She added, “Please join me in showering @alroker with the biggest birthday wishes his heart can hold! #happybirthdaytoyou #happybday #joy.”

Roberts later posted several photos from Roker’s birthday dinner via her Instagram Story, including a sweet video of him blowing out birthday candles in his dessert. “Love this guy with all my heart,” she wrote over a snap of Roker posing in front of a picturesque coastal view.

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