Al Roker STUNS his Today co-hosts as he reveals he has filmed a secret cameo on hit TV drama Billions – as he shares sneak peek at his upcoming appearance on the show
Al Roker has revealed that he will be starring in the final season of Billions, leaving his Today co-stars in shock at his surprising news.
The beloved weatherman, 69, opened up details about his upcoming role in the Showtime drama on Thursday’s episode of the NBC program, with his co-stars Craig Melvin, 44, Dylan Dreyer, 42, and Sheinelle Jones, 45, all exclaiming that they had no idea of his secret project.
Roker explained that he will have the chance to show off his impressive meteorological skills in the Billions episode – titled Hurricane Rosie and in which the father of three will see himself playing – during an on-screen conversation with Mike Wagner, David’s character. Costabile.
In the scene, which aired on Today, Wagner sees Roker in the gym and approaches him to see if he can explain how hurricanes are rated.
Al Roker revealed details of his secret cameo appearance in the final season of Billions
The beloved TV host plays herself in the episode titled Hurricane Rosie
“Wags, this is a multi-agency process,” Roker says in the episode. “You have the National Weather Service. You have the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“You even have the Air Force. They fly these special planes called hurricane chasers right into the storm. They collect real-time data and send it back to the National Hurricane Center.
‘There they analyze the numbers and arrive at the category of a hurricane.’
In response to the explanation, Wagner asks, “So it’s a person actually calling?”
‘Precisely!’ Roker confirms this, prompting Wagner to exclaim, “Fantastic!”
Smoker’s co-stars were impressed with his acting prowess, though they confessed they were stunned that he had kept so quiet about the cameo.
“Obviously it’s all fiction, and we kind of put that in there,” he said.
“But it was kind of fun. Again, it’s ironic that we’re talking about a hurricane when we just had one,” he continued – referring to Hurricane Idalia, which has wreaked havoc in Florida in recent days.
Roker shows off his meteorological skills talking to Mike Wagner, David Costabile’s character
Roker shed light on the shooting process, saying filming the scene took 45 minutes
Roker’s Today show co-stars Craig Melvin, 44, Dylan Dreyer, 42, and Sheinelle Jones, 45, had no idea about his guest appearance
Of course, this isn’t the first time Roker has appeared as himself on television shows, having previously appeared in an episode of crime thrillers The Blacklist, The Simpsons, Will & Grace, Seinfeld, and 30 Rock.
In terms of film, Roker has appeared in both Zomebieland: Double Tap in 2019 and Ghostbusters in 2016.
He has also had multiple cameos in the Sharknado franchise.
The news of Roker’s Billions appearance comes just a fortnight after he admitted he was “glad to be alive” when he rang the doorbell on his 69th birthday – less than a year after he nearly died of internal bleeding.
He thanked his fans for their continued support in a video shared on his social media, saying, “This is my 69th birthday when I orbited the sun, and after everything I went through at the end of last year, I am I am more than grateful to him celebrating this birthday.
“To all of you who have sent well wishes and good wishes over the past year, God bless you. Thank you so much. I can appreciate. I am so grateful.’
Depicted in Sharknado 2, Roker has appeared as himself in a series of TV shows and movies
The beloved weatherman recently celebrated his 69th birthday and admitted that he is grateful to be alive
Roker thanked his wife, Deborah Roberts, “for getting[him]out of the hospital last winter” and his three children, Courtney, 36, Leila, 24, and Nick, 21.
He also gave a special shoutout to his granddaughter, Sky, calling her “one of the greatest gifts ever.”
“There’s a lot to be thankful for on this birthday and glad you’re alive,” he continued before blowing a kiss to the camera.
“Grateful for another trip around the sun,” he added.
Smoker faced life-threatening health problems late last year after suffering from blood clots and internal bleeding.
He underwent emergency surgery for nearly seven hours to treat two bleeding ulcers.
Doctors had to resect his colon, remove his gallbladder and repair a tear in his duodenum, the first part of the small intestine that connects to the stomach.
Roker made his triumphant return to the Today show on January 6 following his two-month sick leave, which included a total of four weeks in the hospital.
“My doctor said that the physical condition I was in from running—because of the cardio—probably saved my life,” he explained.
To make sure he kept up his normal running routine, he underwent his third knee surgery in May and documented his recovery on Instagram.