Al Roker Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Al Roker’s Net Worth and Salary?

An American television weather forecaster, TV personality, actor, and author, Al Roker boasts a net worth of $70 million. He is best known as the longtime weatherman on NBC’s “The Today Show” and co-host of “3rd Hour Today.” Additionally, he hosted “Wake Up with Al” on The Weather Channel from 2009 to 2015.

Roker earns an annual salary of $10 million from NBC. His latest contract is a 5-year agreement worth $50 million, which includes roles on both “The Today Show” and The Weather Channel. He has set multiple Guinness World Records through his “Rokerthon” events, and in 2018, the Today Plaza was renamed “Rokerfeller Plaza” to celebrate Al’s 40 years with NBC. In both 2018 and 2019, he received positive reviews for his performance in “Waitress: The Hit Broadway Musical.”

Early Life

Born Albert Lincoln Roker, Jr. on August 20, 1954, in Queens, New York, Al Roker was raised in a Catholic family with his mother Isabel, father Albert Sr. (a bus driver), and five younger siblings. While attending Manhattan’s Xavier High School, he participated in the Cartooning and Illustration Club, later graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in communications from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1976. During his college years, Roker worked as a weather anchor for CBS affiliate WHEN-TV in Syracuse.

Television Career

After completing college, Roker relocated to Washington, D.C., to take a position as a weather forecaster at independent station WTTG, subsequently starting his NBC career in 1978 at Cleveland’s WKYC. After five years, he was promoted and returned to New York City to work as WNBC-TV’s weekend weathercaster; within eight months, he became the weeknight weathercaster, succeeding Dr. Frank Field, who had served the network for 27 years. Between 1983 and 1996, Al frequently filled in for Joe Witte on “NBC News at Sunrise,” and from 1990 to 1995, he substituted for Bryant Gumbel and Willard Scott, and from 1997 through the 2000s, for Matt Lauer on “The Today Show.” In 1995, he began hosting his weekend talk show, “The Al Roker Show” on CNBC, and his guest appearance on “Late Night with David Letterman” led to a three-year tenure as the forecaster for “Weekend Today,” the weekend edition of “The Today Show.” Al also occasionally covered for Willard Scott on the weekday edition of “The Today Show” before becoming the regular weekday weatherman in January 1996. His approachable demeanor and engaging interactions with the studio audience have made him a favorite among fans over the years.

In November 2012, Roker began hosting the third hour of “The Today Show” (also known as “Today’s Take”), but it was replaced by “Megyn Kelly Today” in September 2017. Following the cancellation of “Megyn Kelly Today” in 2018, Al resumed his role as co-host of “3rd Hour Today.” He initiated the first “Rokerthon” in 2014, providing weather updates for an impressive 34 consecutive hours, and in “Rokerthon 2” of 2015, he managed to report the weather for every U.S. state (including Washington, D.C.) in just 7 days. Each of these events earned him a Guinness World Record, and in 2017, he organized “Rokerthon 3,” visiting colleges and setting a new Guinness World Record at each stop.

Since 1995 (excluding 2022), Roker has been the host of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade coverage on NBC. He has also hosted game shows like “Remember This?” and “Celebrity Family Feud,” as well as Food Network programs like “Roker on the Road” and “Tricked-Out Tailgating.” His guest appearances span numerous movies and television shows, including “Newsradio,” “Men in Black,” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,” and he has played himself in five “Sharknado” films, “Zombieland: Double Tap,” and episodes of “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Seinfeld,” and “Will & Grace.”Al also holds the record for most appearances on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien,” totaling 34 times. Additionally, Roker has been featured on “The Blacklist,” “Martha Gets Down and Dirty,” and “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.”

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Writing Career

Roker has authored 12 books, which include titles such as “Never Goin’ Back: Winning the Weight Loss Battle For Good” (2014), “Al Roker’s Extreme Weather: Tornadoes, Typhoons, and Other Weather Phenomena” (2017), and “Ruthless Tide: The Heroes and Villains of the Johnstown Flood, America’s Astonishing Gilded Age Disaster” (2018). Alongside Dick Lochte, Al co-wrote a murder mystery series featuring celebrity chef turned amateur detective Billy Blessing. The series consists of “The Morning Show Murders” (2009), “The Midnight Show Murders” (2010), and “The Talk Show Murders” (2011); notably, “The Midnight Show Murders” received a 2011 Nero Award nomination and was adapted into a TV movie for Hallmark Movies and Mysteries in 2018. He teamed up with his wife, Deborah Roberts, to co-author the book “Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom for Modern Times” (2016) and has also released two cookbooks.

Al Roker Contract and Salary

Al earns an annual salary of $10 million from NBC. His latest contract, which spans five years, amounts to $50 million, encompassing his responsibilities for both The Today Show and The Weather Channel.

Personal Life

From 1984 to 1994, Al was married to WNBC producer Alice Bell, and together they adopted a daughter, Courtney, born in 1987. In 1995, he wed journalist Deborah Roberts, whom he met in 1990 while both were employed at NBC. The couple welcomed daughter Leila in 1998 and son Nicolas in 2002.

Al has undergone various medical procedures, such as knee replacements in 2001 and 2006, gastric bypass surgery in 2002, back surgery in 2005, emergency carpal tunnel surgery in 2018, and hip replacement surgery in 2019. He has been candid about his weight loss journey, having started running in 2010 and participating in that year’s ING New York City Marathon. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in September 2020, he successfully underwent surgery in November. In November 2022, Al faced hospitalization due to blood clots, requiring surgery for internal bleeding.

Known for his philanthropic efforts, Al supports Ronald McDonald House Charities and serves on their Friends of RMHC board. He has also raised money for the Crowdrise Campaign and Feeding America through his “Rokerthon” events.

Real Estate

In 2000, Roker and Roberts sold their prewar co-op on East 68th Street for $1.5 million, subsequently purchasing a $3.25 million brownstone in Manhattan. After acquiring their new residence, the couple undertook renovations, notably expanding the kitchen due to Al’s passion for cooking. They also own a property in Hudson Valley, from which Roker broadcast his “Today Show” segments during the Coronavirus pandemic in 2020.