Before Al Roker became a weatherman and morning TV icon, he once forecasted a career as a cartoonist.
Growing up in New York, Roker was fascinated by animation and cartoons. He joined the cartooning and illustration club during his time at Xavier High School before studying graphic design and broadcast journalism at the State University of New York at Oswego.
While he ultimately committed his life to the latter, Roker still finds himself sketching from time to time.
“I do a little doodling,” Roker, 70, exclusively told Us Weekly on Thursday, May 8. “I realized I’m not that good, but I enjoy it. I could have done that. It would have been fun.”
The Today weather anchor has been married to fellow broadcast journalist Deborah Roberts, 64, for almost 30 years. The couple posed for photos at the David H. Koch Theater and conducted interviews together on the red carpet at the New York City Ballet’s annual Spring Gala, which was dedicated to the company’s founding choreographer George Balanchine.
Earlier this week, the couple was spotted on the runway at the Met Gala in matching top hats. They might be “too old for dates,” as Roker told Us, but their passion for fashion is stronger than ever.
“I had no expectations — it’s very much like my career,” Roker quipped while describing his first appearance at New York’s biggest fashion event. “It was fun! There were all these glamorous people — and the costumes! It’s a thing.”
Roker named Janelle Monáe and Diana Ross as his best dressed of the night, while Roberts gave flowers to the “always on it” Zendaya — and herself.
“I liked my look a lot!” Roberts declared with a big laugh. “We’ve had a very busy day — and week — so we get to see each other.”
Their evening at the ballet, capped by a performance of Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes, was cut short when Roberts had to rush back to the newsroom to cover a historical moment: the election of Pope Leo XIV, 69, the first American to head the Catholic Church.
“Not sure anyone would’ve predicted this historic moment when I was in Rome covering Pope Francis’s funeral alongside David Muir,” Roberts wrote on Instagram. “Formerly Cardinal Prevost of the U.S., he’s spent much of his life outside of the U.S., serving for two decades in Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen. His new name Leo harkens back to roots in the Catholic Church’s social justice mission.”
Although Roker described Pope Leo’s victory as “exciting” and “fantastic,” he might’ve been secretly rooting for Internet-favorite Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa (purely for his iconic name).
“In a way, you have to root for a guy named Pizzaballa,” Roker said. “It almost sounds like a promotion for Domino’s. Get a big Pizzaballa! But you know, what are you gonna do?”
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