Al Roker Reveals the Sentimental Reason for His Week-Long ‘Today’ Absence

Al Roker returned from his week-long break from Today and shared the heartwarming reason for his latest absence.

The weatherman was back in Studio 1A on Monday, July 13, after missing the entirety of last week’s Today episodes. “We missed you,” said Laura Jarrett, who was filling in for Dylan Dreyer, at the top of the third hour of Today. Craig Melvin said to Roker, “You had a pretty good weekend, too.”

Roker confirmed that he did have a great weekend, sharing, “I got back from visiting my daughter, who just got married, from Paris. We just hung out.” Jarrett went on to ask, “You didn’t crash the honeymoon?” He replied, “No. Nowhere near it.”

Back in May, Roker’s second-eldest daughter, Leila, tied the knot with her husband, Sylvain Gricourt, in two separate ceremonies in Paris and New Jersey. Leila is the eldest of Roker’s two children with his wife, Deborah Roberts. The couple also share a son, Nick, and Roker shares his eldest child, daughter Courtney, with his late ex-wife, Alice Bell.

Roberts shared a glimpse into her and Roker’s Paris trip via Instagram on Sunday, July 12. “Summer meet ups are especially sweet…” she wrote alongside photos of herself and Roker enjoying dinner with Leila and their pal Sheryl Lee Ralph.

Courtesy of Deborah Roberts/Instagram

Fans sent their well-wishes to the family in the post’s comments, with one user writing, “Hope you all are keeping cool and staying hydrated during the heatwave in Paris. Enjoy your holiday @debrobertsabc and @alroker.” Another added, “Summer be summering. Enjoy your time together.”

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Someone else shared, “Love seeing your family making so many memories.” A different person posted, “Beautiful friendship.” A separate commenter stated, “Paris and you – tres magnifique!!!”

Back in May, Roker revealed on Today that he had to be tested for hantavirus upon returning to the U.S. after Leila’s wedding ceremony in France. “I was coming from Europe this weekend from my daughter’s wedding, and the CDC was asking people to voluntarily test,” he explained on the show. “But they didn’t say for what, so I just wonder if it was a precaution here.”

During the show’s June 1 episode, Roker shared that his granddaughter, Sky, got a fever the morning of Leila’s New Jersey ceremony. While they gave her some medicine, her role as the wedding’s ring bearer had to be altered. (Courtney and her husband, Wesley Laga, welcomed Sky in 2023.)

“Her dad, Wes, had to carry her down while Courtney threw the flower petals,” Roker explained. Melvin noted that it was a “great moment” to witness and joked that Sky “woke up later on the dance floor.”

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