Al Roker has been absent from Today, and his wife Deborah Roberts has been sharing with fans why the beloved star is missing from the NBC show. The couple have been vacationing in Italy.
“The beauty of Italy in August. Sunny. Quiet. Lovely,” Roberts captioned a Saturday, August 16, Instagram post featuring snaps from her and Roker’s trip abroad. In another upload, Roberts revealed that she followed up the couple’s day of shopping with taking a floral arrangement class.
“As so many of you know, I have an obsession with beautiful flowers. (Inherited it from my mom). I’ve learned that arranging them is a skill. Not easy,” the ABC News personality captioned Sunday, August 17, Instagram pics from the class. “So, I took a class with the fabulous Daniela. I made this bouquet after some coaching. Grazie Mille Daniela, for your patience and passion. Bellissima!”
The pair’s Italy getaway also coincided with Roker’s 71st birthday. “To the man who brings life, love and laughs to my world, a heartfelt happy birthday. Your kindness, joy and generosity are boundless blessings. Love you so much!” Roberts wrote alongside more Instagram pics of her husband in Italy on Wednesday, August 20. “Please join me in showering @alroker with the biggest birthday wishes his heart can hold! #happybirthdaytoyou #happybday #joy.”
Courtesy of Deborah Roberts/Instagram
Celebrities and fans sent their own birthday wishes to Roker in the post’s comments. “Happiest of birthdays ❤️❤️,” Viola Davis wrote under Roberts’ post, while Weekend Today‘s Laura Jarrett shared three heart emojis. “Happy Birthday Al!!!!” commented Peloton instructor and Today contributor Ally Love.
Roker’s Today colleagues also commemorated his birthday during Wednesday’s episode. “We FaceTimed with Al this morning. He’s having a great birthday,” Savannah Guthrie said while out on the 30 Rockefeller Center plaza. “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!”
Roker has been absent from Today all week, with Dylan Dreyer stepping in for him during the show’s earlier hours. NBC News’ Savannah Sellers stepped in for Roker on the third hour of Today’s Monday, August 18, and Tuesday, August 19, and Wednesday episodes.
In addition to Roker, Jenna Bush Hager is also on hiatus from the NBC morning show. Though the reason behind her absence has not been shared, Monday and Tuesday’s episodes of Today With Jenna & Friends were both prerecorded and featured previously aired interviews and segments.
The Today hosts are known to take more time off than usual during the summer. Roker, for his part, skipped the show for multiple episodes last month. He and Roberts followed up a trip to Bermuda to celebrate their son Nick’s 23rd birthday by attending Sheryl Lee Ralph and her husband Vincent Hughes’s vow renewal in Philadelphia.
Today, Weekdays, 7 a.m. ET, NBC