Shutterstock; Courtesy of Courtney Roker/Instagram
Al Roker Announces 1st Grandchild Is on the Way After Health Scare: ‘Very Happy’
Expanding the family! Al Roker is going to be a grandpa after his daughter Courtney Roker announced she is expecting her first child with her husband, Wesley Laga. The couple shared the exciting news on Tuesday, March 14.
In a sweet video posted on Instagram, Courtney and Wesley were seen attending a sonogram appointment to see their baby. “A new adventure is about to begin,” the test kitchen manager captioned the post.
The comments were flooded with congratulatory messages from their friends and family members. “Here we go!!! So very, very happy!!!!! You guys,” Al penned.
“This is so very exciting!!!,” Al’s wife, Deborah Roberts, wrote on her stepdaughter’s video.
Al welcomed Courtney with his first wife, Alice Bell, in 1987. The Today host is also a dad to kids Leila and Nicholas, whom he welcomed with Deborah. Deborah has always had a close relationship with her bonus daughter since she married the weather anchor in 1995 and is thrilled to become a grandparent.
The expectant parents got married on June 4, 2021, at The Ashford Estate in New Jersey. Several of Al’s Today costars, including Hoda Kotb, Craig Melvin, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones were in attendance with their significant others.
“We are extremely excited to welcome a new member into our family and start this next chapter in our lives,” Courtney told Today.com of her pregnancy. “We feel truly blessed and excited for our little miracle.”
Al revealed the sweet nickname he hopes his first grandchild will call him. “Going for Pop-Pop,” he gushed in a comment under the baby announcement post.
The good news for the Roker family comes just four months after the meteorologist was hospitalized after suffering blood clots in his leg and lungs. He was discharged and returned home in time to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Al shared several photos at home with his children on Instagram that day.
One day after being released, Al returned to the hospital after falling ill. His health issues forced him to take time off from TV before making his big return to Today on January 6. Thanks to the support of his family, the grandpa-to-be was thrilled to be back working with his longtime cohosts.
“My heart is just bursting,” he said during the episode. “I’m just so thrilled to see all of you and the crew. Right now, I’m running on adrenaline.
