Al Roker is spending the holiday season the right way, surrounded by his loving family as they enjoy a variety of festive celebrations. The TODAY Show star took to Instagram on December 23 to share a rare family photograph that featured his wife Deborah Roberts, and their two kids, Leila and Nick.
The photo shows the family posing inside a cozy, rustic space featuring wooden floors, a Persian rug, emerald-green walls, and a grand staircase. They stand beside Nelly Moudime, all smiling for the camera.
Al added a festive spin to his ensemble in a red-and-green tartan blazer with suede green pants and a warm red scarf. Deborah looked chic in a bright yellow wool coat layered over a gold skirt and sage green turtle neck top. Meanwhile, Leila opted for a sleek look as she donned a black silk top with matching jeans that were cinched at the hips by a Gucci belt. Nick was the spitting image of his dad in a smart blue blazer paired with jeans.
© InstagramThe meteorologist captioned the post: "Okay. Now it’s officially the holidays after seeing the #hostwiththemost @nellcan at NYC’s iconic @thepolobar Having @leilaroker @nickroker155 and Haley Clark join @debrobertsabc and me is a gift unto itself."
Ralph Lauren’s The Polo Bar is a hotspot in New York City for the holiday season and it's notoriously hard to get a reservation at the exclusive venue.
However, Al's eldest daughter, Courtney, was noticeably missing from the picture. Al welcomed his firstborn, Courtney, in 1987 with his ex-wife Alice Bell; the pair split in 1994, and the now 70-year-old went on to marry Deborah Roberts in 1995. He then welcomed his daughter Leila in 1998 and his son Nick in 2002.
© Hachette Book Group USACourtney's absence doesn't come as a surprise considering she now has her own family. Al's eldest daughter got engaged in April 2020 after her now-husband, Wesley Laga, asked the weatherman for his blessing. The couple married in a beautiful New Jersey ceremony a year later, surrounded by family and friends. The pair welcomed their daughter, Sky Clara Laga, in July 2023, and Al couldn't have been more enamoured with his first grandchild.
He gushed about the new addition to the family on an episode of TODAY, explaining how "magical" it was to have a grandchild. "The thing is, everyone tells you it's going to be 'this thing', and you don't know; it's like when they tell you about having your first child," he said.
"And then to hold this little girl, knowing almost 35 years ago I held her mom? And here she is, 5 lbs., 15 oz., 19 inches long, and she's just perfect."
© InstagramLast year, Al released his cookbook, Al Roker's Recipes To Live By, which he co-wrote with his chef daughter Courtney. Al exclusively spoke to us about what that moment meant to him. "To be honest, I hadn't cried during the whole thing, during the whole ordeal," he first confessed, then added "But that brought me to tears."
He continued: "It really meant so much, you know, and it was just kind of the tip of the iceberg," and explained: "There was a physical manifestation, if you will, of just people in general, who were sending well wishes and prayers and thoughts and, you know, it meant a lot."
Al's kids are just as hardworking and talented as their father, with Courtney working as a recipe developer, Leila as a media expert, and Nick having recently graduated with a degree in communication.
The family are likely to spend Christmas at Al and Deborah's 40-acre property in Colombia County, New York. The couple purchased the getaway house over 27 years ago and expanded the once-28-acre space. This year marks the first time that the empty nesters decorated their tree on their own.
