Is Al Roker leaving the Today show? Not anytime soon — but he is making a TV appearance on a competition show fans didn’t expect.
As a foodie who published a cookbook (called Al Roker’s Recipes to Live By) with his daughter Courtney Roker Laga in 2024, it’s easy to say Al loves all things culinary. Well, it looks like he’ll be putting his food skills into action, as PBS revealed he’s set to serve as the first special guest judge on The Great American Recipe season 4. With the show’s new installment set to premiere on July 11, 2025 on PBS, fans got to see Al pop up and surprise the bakers in a sneak peek trailer that dropped on Facebook on June 20.
“I’m so looking forward to tasting these dishes,” Al stated in the official clip.
When viewers of the show realized that Al would be stepping in to help judge an episode of The Great American Recipe, they were naturally shocked by the news.
“Al Roker?!” one person commented. “I am fired up for a new season!” another declared. “Can’t wait to watch!!” a different follower added.
As for how The Great American Recipe judge Francis Lam felt about the weatherman’s TV cameo, he had nothing but high praise for Al.
“It was a blast,” he told TV Insider in an interview published on July 9. “He brought so much enthusiasm. It was really fun, a really great jolt of energy to kick off the show. Yeah, it’s fun. I mean, we have such a nice dynamic as a trio, [judges] Tiffany [Derry], Tim [Hollingsworth] and I really love working with each other. But it doesn’t mean there’s not room for someone to just bring a new spark and a different vibe to it as well.”
We can’t wait to catch Al when The Great American Recipe premieres on PBS!
