TODAY’s Thanksgiving Day Parade host shakeup has been revealed after an ailing Al Roker missed out on 2022’s edition.

Al is returning as a host to help lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade festivities this year.

5

Al Roker is returning to the Today Show’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade festivities this yearCredit: NBC

5

Al missed the celebration for the first time in 27 years in 2022 due to health issuesCredit: Instagram
The news comes as the parade’s lineup was announced, lining out everyone fans can expect to see during the annual event.

In 2022, Al previously missed his first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in nearly 30 years.

Dylan Dreyer stepped in at the time to take his place.

Dylan was joined by anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb.

Al was unable to attend due to the multiple medical problems he had been experiencing at the time.

In addition to blood clots in his lungs, Al also needed a knee replacement.

It was a scary time for the weatherman, but he made time to cheer on the parade and paradegoers at home the past holiday season.

Al gave the away team a thumbs-up in an Instagram post at the time.

Now that he’s returning, he’ll be among good company.

There are a variety of floats and balloons on display this year.

The parade will also be taking place at a new time as well.

ROUGH ROAD

Al recently appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show with wife Deborah Roberts to discuss some of the most difficult moments in his life.

Al, 69, opened up to Kelly about last year’s health crisis, where he dealt with blood clots as well as a number of other issues.

“I was in the hospital,” Al explained.

“I went in for one thing, and ended up having surgery for five, so it was a buy one, get four free!”

“Oh my God, that’s scary!” Kelly exclaimed.

“It was really a very scary time, Kelly,” Deborah said as she looked over at Al lovingly.

She added: “Al is wanting to look forward, not backwards, which is great, ever the optimist, but it was a very, very difficult time, and we are so blessed to have him in full form and just great.”

The audience clapped loudly at Deborah’s statement.

Deborah, 63, admitted that she takes a more patient approach to living with Al at home now after the health issues.

“Now, when he drops his underwear and stuff on the floor or whatever, and I want to get upset with him, I’m just like, y’know, he’s there!” she said, smiling.

“I could have been dead!” the Today star quipped.

Kelly joked that Al might use this to “get out of trouble” with Deborah.

“It’s your fault! You saved me!” Al joked.

‘SEVERE ISSUE’

Al admitted that he nearly died during the 2022 health crisis.

He didn’t end up with major complications, but he did admit that he came out of the situation with a new realization.

Last November, Al was hospitalized for blood clots in his lungs and legs.

The famous meteorologist opened up about that scary time in his life.

“It’s no secret that I had a severe medical issue, and to be completely honest, I almost died,” Al said in an exclusive clip of the podcast Your Mama’s Kitchen shared by People.

“I didn’t know it at the time.”

He went on to say that his family kept that important information from him at the time because they wanted him to recover properly.

“But I missed Thanksgiving, and almost missed Christmas,” he said.

Al had to go back to the hospital on Thanksgiving night when he experienced another emergency.

“And I forgot how important those touchstone moments are.”

Al said that wanting to spend the holidays with his family was the realization he needed to pull through.

“I felt, in a sense, badly because I ruined Thanksgiving for the family and I was not going to let that happen for Christmas,” he shared.

The podcast host Michelle Norris told Al that he was being hard on himself.

“I know,” Al admitted. “But it was important to me and gave me something to push for. And I made Christmas dinner.”

5

Now that Al’s health has improved, he is joining the away team once more for the festivitiesCredit: Instagram

5

He’ll join the Today crew for the big celebration and return to his postCredit: Getty Images

5

There are a wide variety of new additions to the show this year as well as a new time for its broadcast