Deborah Roberts, the respected ABC News anchor and correspondent, recently opened up about the realities of her long-term marriage with TODAY show weather anchor Al Roker. In a candid moment, Roberts acknowledged that their relationship, like many others, hasn’t always been smooth sailing, admitting that being married to someone in the public eye “isn’t easy.” Despite the challenges they’ve faced over the years, the couple remains committed to one another and will soon be celebrating an incredible milestone—29 years of marriage. Their enduring bond stands as a testament to resilience, love, and mutual respect in the face of life’s complexities.

They share two children together(Image: Getty Images)
Deborah Roberts admitted that marriage with the TODAY show host “isn’t easy.”

Deborah and Al Roker have been married for 28 years. The two met in 1990 when Deborah started to grow her career as a reporter at NBC, where Al worked as a weatherman. Before becoming lovers, the two started as friends but Al was smitten in the beginning. They formed a close friendship until he surprised her with a refrigerator and pantry filled with goods and left flowers to welcome her home, when he was watching over her apartment in 1992 while she was covering the Summer Olympics.

Deborah revealed that the two are “working at” their marriage constantly.

Deborah and Al Roker have been married for 28 years(Image: Bruce Glikas/WireImage)
She told the U.S. Sun: “Oh, my gosh. I think the biggest thing is not to tell anybody that you have it figured out, because we don’t. We are working at it constantly. We are a work in progress.”

The ABC News anchor and correspondent said that “life is all about growing, evolving, sometimes compromising and sometimes not.” She does not know the secret to a long-lasting marriage but she believed she “desires to be committed and to work” makes a big difference and is possibly the answer.

She admitted that marriage “isn’t easy”(Image: NY Daily News via Getty Images)
The couple will be celebrating their 29-year wedding anniversary on September 16, 2024. They share two children together, Nick Rocker, 21, and Leila Ruth, 25. Al was married before and has a daughter, Courtney Roker Laga, 37, with ex-wife Alice Bell. Nicholas is currently in college while his sister Leila lives in Paris and pursuing journalism like her parents. Courtney is a chef, wife to Wesley Laga and became a mother in 2023, making Al and Deborah grandparents.

On the TODAY show he expressed his love of being a gradfather. He shared: “It is magical, it really is… 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. 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.”