TODAY has allowed its hosts to report outdoors from New York despite dangerous air quality levels in the city, leading fans to accuse the program of bad judgment.
It was business as usual for Al and the rest of the anchors on the June 7 episode of the morning show.
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The Today Show hosts were seen reporting outside during the June 7 episode of the morning showCredit: NBC
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However, fans were concerned about the “poor decision” made by NBC to let them do so in a time where the air quality is so poorCredit: NBC
Al shared a photo on June 7 on Instagram of himself chatting with a fan outside the Today Show studio.
“A little haze and smoke doesn’t obscure the smiles on our @todayshow plaza or dim these @photonate pics,” he captioned the image.
The photo didn’t show, however, the orange-tinted smog floating around the city.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has been hovering over parts of the Northeast, including New York.
The hundreds of fires have contributed to unhealthy levels of air pollution.
New York City had registered some of its worst air quality readings in years.
Seeing Al and other Today Show hosts outside without masks made fans concerned.
One fan wrote: “As you know, it is dangerous to your health, so please at the very least mask up. Indoor air quality can be poor too.”
Another commented: “Was disappointed that the Today show filmed outside this am in the continuing air quality issue….seems like poor judgment?? Worst in the world! Air quality, and yet you send your people outside??”
MORNING MADNESS
Meanwhile, Al and Carson Daly have roared at a guest after they almost missed their cue on a recent episode of the morning show.
Al and Carson teamed up to jolt their special interviewee Amy Schumer from her sleepy state on Wednesday’s Today show.
Toward the end of the morning show, Al, 68, Carson, 49, Craig Melvin, 45, and Hoda Kotb, 58, hosted from outside of the Today studios in New York.
Behind the co-anchors was an energetic audience who helped keep the TV personalities lively with their constant cheering.
Before the hosts went to a commercial break, Hoda announced that they would be speaking with Amy, 42, about her new Netflix comedy special when they came back.
Producers cut to live footage of Amy in the morning show studio prior to fading to commercial.
Amy had her eyes closed, pretending to be sleeping while she stood on the set.
Al can be heard yelling: “Wake up, Amy!” and calling her name multiple times in the background to get her to awaken after the camera was moved to her.
Carson also screamed Amy’s name in the background, attempting to get her to open her eyes.
Amy quickly woke up, batting her eyes and fixing her hair as she zoned back in.
Craig and Carson noted that Amy’s drowsiness could be because it was too early.
AL’S ANTICS
Al definitely knows how to get people’s heart racing, especially his co-host Craig.
He scared Craig so severely that the star narrowly avoided cursing on live TV during Tuesday’s episode.
Craig blasted “creepy” Al for almost causing him to make a terrible mistake on the morning-time program.
They were in the middle of showing off a few gift ideas for Father’s Day when the moment took place.
Craig decided to test out a pair of smart goggles, placing the chunky device over his eyes.
Al took this as his chance to sneak up on Craig, silently standing right in front of him.
Seeing what was happening, Sheinelle Jones, 45, asked Craig: “Can you not see through it?”
Thinking she was simply asking a question about the device, he replied, sounding astonished: “No! You can’t see through it.”
That’s when Sheinelle suggested he take the goggles off, and as he complied, he was shocked to find Al’s face right there waiting for him.
Craig screamed and stumbled backward as everyone else around him laughed.
“That was creepy,” Craig told Al, before adding: “I come this close to cussing on live television once a week because of you!”
NEW AND IMPROVED
Al only recently came back to the morning show after a few weeks off to recover from a knee replacement surgery.
He made sure to make his return extra memorable, though, as he made both Craig and Dylan Dreyer, 41, scream upon his arrival on set.
A few days before he re-joined Today for good, the meteorologist secretly showed up to surprise his co-hosts in the middle of the live program.
Craig, Dylan, and Sheinelle were leading a segment on wine, as it was National Wine Day.
Sheinelle stood to the side of the table and talked as Craig and Dylan stood behind it and sampled the products.
“Up next, the woman who may change the way you think about work/life balance. Her strategy-,” Sheinelle said before getting cut off by Craig throwing up his hands and screaming.
Sheinelle turned her head to her co-hosts and gave a frightened look.
Dylan put down her wine glass and also screamed, while Sheinelle began to walk off-set just as Al walked on.
The returning meteorologist cracked up as he walked over and gave hugs to all of his surprised co-stars.
“What’s up, brother? Good to see you,” Craig told him.
“We’re still on the air,” Sheinelle realized. “We’ll be right back. A little reunion.”
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One fan wrote that it is “dangerous” to the hosts’ health to be out in the polluted airCredit: NBC
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Another was “disappointed” that the crew chose to have the anchors film during a time with such poor air qualityCredit: NBC
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Al didn’t seem bothered by the comments as he shared his images from the episode
