Al Roker departs Today for different show close to his heart here's why
Al has been a Today Show staple since 1996
Al Roker left the Today Show NBC studios for the show's installment on March 30 to return to where it all began – Cleveland.
The popular weatherman jetted off to the Ohio city to host WKYC's morning show, an NBC-affiliated station that actually gave him his start.
Al began his stint with NBC on TV with the Cleveland station back in 1978, which was then an NBC owned-and-operated network.
After five years with them, he eventually earned a promotion to WNBC-TV, which brought him back to his hometown of New York City, where he has remained to this day.
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Al reunited with some of his former hosts for the morning to help report the news and weather, while also making appearances on .
Not only did he provide his usual morning forecasts while on the ground, he was able to tune into with his co-hosts Dylan Dreyer and Craig Melvin.
View post on XAl was able to make cameo appearances on throughout the morning
Al also attended Major League Baseball's Opening Day celebrations in Cleveland, represented by their home team The Guardians.
The popular NBC staple had a lot more to get up to while he was in Ohio, having flown there the day prior to deliver a speech and interact with students at the University of Akron.
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It was an especially early morning for Al, who had to host at 6AM instead of the usual 7AM that he'd gotten used to for . He did, however, receive a sweet surprise from his team members, who were able to celebrate news of his first grandchild with him
"Your assembly is getting bigger, and we feel like we have an extension of the family here," 3News host Maureen Kyle said to him before presenting him with a cute gift basket.
Al Roker's baby surpriseThe father-of-three got a gift basket in anticipation of his grandchild
The baby basket consisted of a bib, a red onesie, mittens, and a fleece blanket, all emblazoned with their tagline " team assemble," and an animated version of Al's face, which he joked would be "scaring the baby right off the bat."
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