Why did Al Roker miss the Thanksgiving Day Parade?

NEW YORK — Al Roker, the longtime NBC meteorologist, is a fixture at the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. But for the first time in 27 years, Roker is not hosting the celebrations.

Earlier this month, Roker was hospitalized for a blood clot. He revealed the medical issue on social media last week.

“So many of you have thoughtfully asked where I have been. Last week I was hospitalized with a blood clot in my leg that sent some clots to my lungs,” Roker, 68, announced Instagram.

Roker’s wife, ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts, wrote that she was grateful for “the world-class medical care and prayer warriors from every corner.”

“We love you very much sweet Al and can’t wait to take you home,” Roberts wrote, adding heart emojis.

The blood clot may have been a symptom of Roker’s treatment for prostate cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2020.

Blood clots like the one Roker experienced are not uncommon in cancer patients, who are four times more likely to develop a blood clot than patients without cancer, according to hematology-oncology.

As the parade began, his co-hosts wished him well and recognized his long legacy at the event.

“For the last 27 saves, we’ve reached out to Al Roker, our Today Show colleague and best pal, at this very moment, but as many of you have heard, Al is recovering and he’s recovering very well from a recent medical problem said Hoda Kotb. “We just want to say we love you Al. I wonder if you’re watching? But we wish you a full recovery.”

Kotb and Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie then introduced Dylan Dreyer, the weather forecaster representing Roker, who was covering the parade from the Upper West Side in New York.

It’s unclear how long Roker will be out while he recovers, but his co-stars are desperate to have him back by next Thanksgiving.

“We love you Al. See you next year!” said Guthrie.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.